In one of the bloodiest strikes on civilians since the return of military rule, an artillery strike targeting a refugee camp close to Myanmar’s border with China has killed at least 29 people, including women and children, according to sources and media on Tuesday.
Following a coup in 2021, ethnic minority armies and a resistance movement have been fighting to overthrow the rule of the military in Myanmar, after a ruthless crackdown by security forces.
The attack, which happened Monday night in Kachin State close to midnight, was attributed to the military by sources including the shadow National Unity Government (NUG).
A camp for internally displaced people was reportedly struck by artillery approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) from a base of operations in the border town of Laiza run by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which has been in combat with Myanmar’s military for years. According to Kachin media, 30 people died. However, it was impossible to precisely verify the dead toll.
Who is to Blame?
According to a junta official, the military was not at fault. “We are looking into it. Zaw Min Tun added People Media, “We constantly take care of the border peace situation. The explosion might have involved an ethnic rebel group’s own weapons.
The NUG criticised what it called a violent assault on people and demanded that the international community act to stop the atrocities and bring Myanmar’s generals to account.
The military council’s actions, according to NUG spokesperson Kyaw Zaw, “are crimes against humanity and acts of war,” adding that an attack near the Chinese border demonstrated that the junta did not respect its neighbor’s call for peace and stability.
People should “never be a target,” the United Nations in Myanmar wrote on Facebook in response to reports of the incident.
The largest of many ethnic groups that have been engaged in conflict with the military for decades is KIA, whose main centre is Laiza. It is said that the military has two grievances against the KIA: first, for engaging in armed conflict with the government after a ceasefire was broken in 2011, and second, for supporting other insurgent organisations. According to Kachin officials, the junta has increased its attacks over the past year as Kachin support for other insurgent organisations opposing the military government has grown.
Numerous residents reside there in displacement camps in and around the town, which is located not far from the Chinese border. According to the UN, the fighting in Myanmar has caused the displacement of more than 1 million people.
Fear in minds of people of Myanmar’s Laiza-
The town of Laiza, according to a student activist, was “shaken” by the explosion, and locals were fleeing. Another local from the area shared that the whole area is not alert and there is fear of a second bomb attack. Worrying about this situation the local people are planning to relocate to safer places.
Kachin media posted some terrible photographs of devastation on Facebook. These images showed casualties on the floor, Others showed military-clad men searching through debris and a man carrying a young child’s body.
The attack was the deadliest since an airstrike in April that left dozens of people dead, including civilians, in Myanmar’s disturbed Sagaing area. Khon Ja, a local activist with the Kachin Peace Network Civil society group, said that 29 people had passed away and 59 had been injured. According to Kachin officials, among those who are declared dead, at least 11 of them are children.
