At least 115 incidents in which 10 or more civilians were killed have been recorded in Myanmar since the military coup, including a recent airstrike on India Market in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State, according to the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar).
On September 28, the military carried out an airstrike around India Market and the Kissapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw Township, killing at least 50 civilians.
ISP-Myanmar said at least 2,324 civilians have been killed in 115 mass-killing incidents involving 10 or more civilian deaths during the more than five years since the military coup.
The incidents involved shootings and other armed attacks, burning and airstrikes. Airstrikes accounted for 65% of the incidents, according to ISP-Myanmar.
The military was responsible for at least 110 of the incidents, which killed at least 2,227 civilians, ISP-Myanmar said. Five other incidents were attributed to other armed groups and killed at least 97 civilians.
ISP-Myanmar said that since General Ye Win Oo became commander in chief of the military, large-scale offensives have been carried out on the Kachin, Rakhine and Karen fronts, while air and drone attacks have increased and incidents involving mass civilian deaths have continued.
Civilians living in areas controlled by revolutionary forces and in areas experiencing heightened military tensions face the greatest risks, according to ISP-Myanmar. Civilian homes, religious buildings, hospitals and schools have also been targeted, leaving civilians with severely limited protection during the conflict.
ISP-Myanmar said targeting civilians in non-military locations in pursuit of military objectives harms not only the victims but also those responsible, as such incidents could add to the record of alleged war crimes committed by the groups involved.
IMNA