May 14, 2024
The military junta has committed at least 46 instances of mass killings within a four-month period, resulting in the deaths of 369 civilians, according to a statement from the New Light of Myanmar Research Group. From January to April 2024, the military’s mass killings involving five or more individuals were studied, revealing approximately 168 incidents due to aerial assaults. The report indicates that 46% of civilian deaths during this period resulted from airstrikes, which were the most frequent and deadly occurrences. At least 23 incidents of mass killings occurred due to aerial attacks, with six in northern Shan State, four in Rakhine, four in Sagaing, two in Kachin, two in Karen, two in Kayah, two in Chin, and one in Bago. The fatalities from airstrikes included 40 in Rakhine, 34 in northern Shan, 32 in Sagaing, 18 in Karen, 12 in Chin, 11 in Kachin, 11 in Kayah, and 10 in Bago. Among these, an airstrike on March 18, 2024, in Thadakya village, Minbya township, Rakhine, resulted in numerous civilian deaths, including 22 individuals, nine of whom were children, according to the New Light of Myanmar Research Group’s report.
Additionally, there were at least 11 instances where the military and Pyu Saw Htee forces committed mass killings, resulting in a total of 91 deaths. These incidents included five in Sagaing, two in Kayah, one in Magway, one in Bago, one in Mandalay, and one in southern Shan State. In Sagaing, 52 individuals died, followed by 13 in Kayah, 10 in Magway, six in Bago, five in Mandalay, and five in southern Shan State, as reported. The military’s intrusion resulted in the highest fatalities, with 19 civilians killed in the Wuntho township of Sagaing.
Moreover, there was an incident on April 7, where five Rohingya individuals were captured and executed in the Thayet Kone village of Maungdaw township, Rakhine, as noted in the report. The military’s mass killings also involved heavy weaponry, with at least six incidents of mass killings due to artillery fire during the four-month period, resulting in 52 deaths. Among these, 30 deaths occurred in Rakhine, 10 in Kachin, seven in southern Shan, and five in Karen. On February 19, in the Koeryi market of Rakhine, 22 civilians were killed due to artillery fire.
Additionally, other forms of mass killings by the military were noted, with three incidents occurring within the four-month period. On January 21, in the southern district of Moemauk in northern Shan State, six civilians were killed by gunfire from the military while fleeing an aerial assault. On January 27, five youths from the Taungtha township were captured and executed by the military, and on February 4, 12 Pao nationals were shot by the military in southern Shan State.
The military junta’s mass killings of civilians involved simultaneous use of heavy artillery and airstrikes. The report details two incidents within the four-month period resulting in 31 deaths, occurring in Sagaing and northern Shan State, where 21 died in Sagaing and 10 in northern Shan State.
