UN Chief condemns the attack
AMN / WEB DESK
At least 100 people, including children, feared killed in Tuesday’s air strike in the Sagaing area, making it the deadliest in a recent string of military air attacks, reports different media outlets.
Survivors told the BBC they have collected at least 80 bodies, but expect the toll to rise further.
The United Nations has condemned the attack, which targeted a village in the north-western Sagaing region.
The military has increasingly used air strikes against their opponents since seizing power in February 2021.
The spokesman for the military junta, General Zaw Min Tun, told state television, “yes, we launched the air strike”. He said they had chosen to attack Pa Zi Gyi because the village was holding a ceremony to mark the opening of an office for their local volunteer defence force.
The Acting President of Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG), Duwa Lashi La formed by the elected members of parliament which was not allowed to meet after military took control of state power in February 2021, said that Myanmar’s air force dropped multiple bombs while its helicopters strafed the village where several hundred people had gathered.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the attack in Myanmar. The official newsletter of the UN said the air strike reportedly killed at least 100 people in an opposition stronghold in the northwestern part of Myanmar.
Offering his condolences, the UN Secretary-General called upon the Myanmar military ‘to end the campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country, in line with Security Council resolution 2669.’
The US and European Union have also condemned the attacks. US State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel said the incident ‘underscored the regime’s disregard for human life’. The European Union expressed its shock at the incident and said it will continue to hold those responsible fully accountable.
The spokesperson for the military government of Myanmar Zaw Min Tun accepted that the airstrike on the village took place.
But the explosion took place killing people because the anti-government forces known as ‘People’s Defence Forces’ (PDF) had stockpiled ammunition in a nearby building, said the military spokesperson. He accused the PDF of falsely claiming civilian deaths when their forces were killed.
Myanmar new year
The attack came as Myanmar was preparing to mark its traditional new year festival, Thingyan, which begins Thursday and traditionally involves public water fights, but celebrations are expected to be muted.
“As the people of Myanmar celebrate their New Year, the EU is deeply shocked by reports of the latest atrocity committed by the military regime in Sagaing, taking the lives of dozens of innocent civilians,” EU foreign affairs spokesperson Ms Nabila Massrali said.
The UN while not confirming a toll, said several civilians were killed, with Turk accusing Myanmar’s military of once again disregarding “clear legal obligations… to protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities”.