At least 50 killed as Myanmar military attacks rebel gathering

In a tragic incident that has once again highlighted the turmoil in Myanmar, between 50 and 100 people, including civilians, have reportedly been killed in an air strike carried out by the military. The event was attended by opponents to the military rule in the Sagaing region of central Myanmar.

Several media outlets, including BBC Burmese, Radio Free Asia, and the Irrawaddy news portal, have reported the deaths, citing residents in the area. However, news agency Reuters has been unable to verify the reports, with a spokesperson for the ruling military not responding to requests for comment.

Myanmar has been in a state of unrest since the military coup in 2021, which has been followed by attacks by ethnic minority armies and resistance groups that have challenged the rule of the military. In response, the military has carried out air strikes and used heavy weapons, even in civilian areas.

According to a member of the local People’s Defence Force (PDF), an anti-junta militia, fighter jets had fired on a ceremony held to open their local office. The PDF member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “So far, the exact number of casualties is still unknown. We cannot retrieve all the bodies yet.”

The incident could be one of the deadliest in a string of air strikes since a jet attacked a concert last October, killing 50 civilians, local singers, and members of an armed ethnic minority group in the Kachin state.

The United Nations records show that at least 1.2 million people have been displaced by the post-coup fighting. Today’s incident is the latest in a series of brutal attacks by the military on civilians.

The National Unity Government, Myanmar’s pro-democracy government-in-exile, has condemned the attack, calling it “yet another example of indiscriminate use of extreme force against civilians”.

Last month, a human rights group, ethnic minority rebels, and the media reported that at least eight civilians, including children, were killed in an air strike on a village in the northwestern region of Myanmar.

The military has repeatedly denied international allegations that it has committed atrocities against civilians, claiming that it was fighting “terrorists” determined to destabilize the country.

In response to the military’s actions, western countries have imposed sanctions on the junta and its vast business network in a bid to choke off their revenue and access to arms from key suppliers such as Russia. However, these measures have failed to stop the military from using brute force against civilians, and the situation in Myanmar remains extremely volatile.