An armed resistance movement against Myanmar’s military-run government criticised the junta yesterday for conducting air strikes on villages even as the country reels from an earthquake that has killed around 1,700 people.
The UN has described the attacks as “completely outrageous and unacceptable”.
Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews told the BBC that it was “nothing short of incredible” that the military was continuing to “drop bombs when you are trying to rescue people” after the earthquake.
He called on the military regime to stop all military operations.
“Anyone who has influence on the military needs to step up the pressure and make it very clear that this is not acceptable,” he said.
“I’m calling upon the junta to just stop, stop any of its military operations,” he added.
BBC Burmese confirmed that seven people were killed in an air strike in Naungcho in northern Shan state. This strike took place around 3.30pm, less than three hours after the quake struck.
The Karen National Union (KNU), one of Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armies, said in a statement that the junta “continues to carry out air strikes targeting civilian areas, even as the population suffers tremendously from the earthquake”.
The group said that under normal circumstances, the military would be prioritising relief efforts, but instead is focused on “deploying forces to attack its people”.
A spokesman for the junta did not reply to queries from Reuters about the criticism.
Myanmar has been locked in civil war with multiple armed opposition groups since a 2021 coup, when the military seized power from the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Shortly after Friday’s devastating earthquake, military jets launched air strikes and drone attacks in Karen state, near the KNU headquarters, according to the Free Burma Rangers, a relief organisation.
The epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude quake was in an area held by junta forces, but the devastation is widespread and also affected some territory held by armed resistance movements.
Richard Horsey, the senior Myanmar adviser at Crisis Group, said some anti-junta forces have halted their offensives but fighting continues elsewhere.
“The regime also continues to launch air strikes, including in affected areas. That needs to stop,” he said.
He added that the regime was not providing much visible support in quake-hit areas.
“Local fire brigades, ambulance crews, and community organisations have mobilised, but the military – who would normally be mobilised to support in such a crisis – are nowhere to be seen,” Horsey said.
&uuid=(email))