April 20, 2023

Airstrikes and Massacres: The Human Cost of Myanmar's Military Rule

topic:	Political violence
located:	Myanmar
editor:	Padone

Editor’s note: This article contains graphic descriptions of violence and crimes against humanity.

On 11 April, an airstrike carried out by the Myanmar military bombarded the village of Pazigyi, where residents were gathered to inaugurate the opening of a local volunteer defence force. The shelling resulted in at least 165 casualties, 35 of whom were children, and caused hundreds of injuries. Residents said it was difficult to identify the victims since many bodies were burnt or dismembered.

This is only one of the many awful atrocities committed by the junta, which include dozens of massacres across the country since the military regime took control of Myanmar in February 2021. The military has increasingly resorted to aerial attacks against civilians in areas suspected to harbour opposition forces. International organisations, such as UNICEF, have recorded massive human rights violations, including the merciless bombardment of schools.

The civil war in the country has engendered a massive human cost: a total of 3,225 people have been killed, a total of 21,276 people have been detained, and as of February 28, 2023, 60,459 civilian houses have been burnt down. 

The junta has also resorted to economic warfare against the country’s civilians by implementing power cuts that last up to 18 hours a day and increasing prices of commodities and petroleum to push people further into poverty.

Since no effective actions have been taken to stop the military establishment, citizens fighting for democracy have embraced a practice that they call “We Have Ourselves,” by which even the youth have taken up arms and risked their own lives to protect their compatriots. In some areas, their tactics and capabilities have outmatched the regime’s forces on the ground, which is why the military has resorted to more cruel aerial attacks to oppress civilians and local defence forces. 

While international bodies have decried the regime’s abuses of human rights, the Burmese people feel that little has been done to impede further atrocities and they are aware that press release statements and condemnations are ineffective.

Instead, they have demanded that international bodies and governments prevent airstrikes by cutting off the supply of jet fuel and arms to the military government, which it receives from international arms suppliers. International courts have the responsibility to uphold their duties by prosecuting the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity.

Image by Saw Wunna

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