A total of 43 children aged under 18 are among the civilians who were killed during the armed conflict since the coup in Karenni State, according to the records.
The records were taken between February 2021 and 18 March 2024 in Karenni State. The number on the ground may be higher than that as the list was collected within the reach.
24 children were killed by heavy shelling, seven by airstrikes while the rest were killed during the arrests. Many children were wounded by the junta’s atrocities.
Four children aged under 15 were killed in the military council’s bombardments of a school in February 2024. Among seven diplaced locals killed by the military council in Shadaw Township are three children aged under 10.
U Banyar, Secretary of the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC) said: “The military council intentionally committed the cases. The tortures were reported. This is not only the ordinary human rights violations but also war crimes. According to the Geneva Convention, the army must avoid bombing schools and clinics. It amounts to breaching the humanitarian law,” U Banyar said.
Efforts are being made to take action against those who are committing war crimes by killing civilians in Karenni State after the coup, U Banyar continued.
“It is sure that the action will be prepared on a case-by-case basis. We are working on it. However, on the other hand, there is a lot of difficulty in punishing the perpetrators in our country. Our demands on the international stage did work as much as we thought. However, there must be full accountability and responsibility. Continued efforts are being made to take action against the perpetrators under war crimes or crimes against humanity or violations of human rights in the country,” U Banyar said.
According to data released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on 14 March, 18.6 million people in Myanmar are in need of emergency assistance, 6 million of whom are children.
The ongoing conflict in Myanmar has resulted in a lack of educational opportunities for over four million children.
More humanitarian aid is needed in Arakan State, Chin State, northern Shan State and Sagaing Region, where fighting is intensifying.
Sent by Kantarawaddy Times