Thousands of people have fled Myanmar after government helicopter raids

After air raids on more than a dozen villages in Depayin, Sagaing region, local media reports that inhabitants were compelled to seek refuge in the forest and other locations.

According to local media, attacks by helicopter gunships in Myanmar's Sagaing area, a hotbed of resistance to the country's military administration, have forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

The claimed attacks over the weekend targeted 15 villages in Depayin township, the same location where a military-backed gang massacred nearly 70 supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party in 2003 during a visit by the Nobel Peace laureate.

After years of house detention, Aung San Suu Kyi led the National League for Democracy to a landslide electoral victory in 2015, and she went on to win re-election in 2020 by an even bigger majority.

However, the military refused to accept the results of the most recent referendum, precipitating a coup on February 1 that has thrown the country into upheaval for the past ten months.
Mass protests have been met with severe repression, with the military allegedly killing over 1,000 civilians, leading to armed revolt.

Sagaing has seen numerous skirmishes, military-led massacres, and assassinations of military-appointed local officials. It was one of the first regions to take up arms against the military rule.

According to Myanmar Now, which quoted three local sources, at least seven civilians were killed in the most recent air raids on Saturday, and "thousands" have been displaced.

People's Defence Forces (PDF) armed opposition organisations have continued to fight back.
On Sunday, the Depayin PDF claimed to have struck a military convoy, killing 20 troops.

As many as 20 civilians may have been murdered in the air raids, according to Myanmar's alternative National Unity Government, which was created by legislators elected in the 2020 elections. However, search and identification attempts have been impeded by ongoing attacks.

"Human rights and international law are completely disregarded," the NUG's Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs stated in a statement, adding that the military is determined to "demolish everything on the route to a throne."

Depayin villagers who have been displaced have reportedly sought refuge in the forests and nearby communities.
According to a report by the local Irrawaddy news agency, "resistance organisations" claim that up to 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes.
The figures could not be independently verified.

"The junta's strikes in Depayin might be considered a war crime, and they're consistent with attacks on civilian populations that we're seeing around the country," said Patrick Phongsathorn, a human rights advocate with Fortify Rights, who called for an international arms embargo.