Junta Airstrikes Kill 23 Civilians During Myanmar New Year

[geovalin]

TAZE media

 

At least 23 civilians, including children and Buddhist novices, were killed in a wave of Myanmar junta airstrikes launched over the Thingyan New Year holiday, according to local sources.

 

From April 13 to 16, the military regime reportedly carried out at least 26 airstrikes across seven regions, targeting monasteries and villages even where no active fighting was reported. The Irrawaddy news outlet, citing local resistance groups and witnesses, said over 50 others were injured in the attacks, which spanned Magwe, Sagaing, Mandalay, and Bago regions, as well as Rakhine, Chin, and Karen states.

 

Among the dead were four children and a pregnant woman. Many of the injured were monks and novices, as monasteries—traditionally places of peace and spiritual gathering during the Thingyan festival—were repeatedly bombed.

 

In one of the most harrowing incidents, a YAK-30 fighter jet struck a monastery in Kanni Village, Karen State, on Tuesday afternoon, killing six people and injuring 17. The next day, a Y12 aircraft dropped bombs on another village in the area, killing five more. Meanwhile, Sagaing’s Kani Township was hit by drones and paramotors, with bombs dropped on seven villages, including one that killed two Buddhist novices.

 

Despite the junta’s declared ceasefire following the devastating 28 March earthquake—which claimed over 3,700 lives—the airstrikes have continued. The civilian-led National Unity Government (NUG) and several ethnic armed groups had earlier announced their own ceasefires to facilitate rescue and mourning, but the military’s ongoing attacks have shattered hopes for even temporary calm.

 

Myanmar’s Human Rights Ministry, aligned with the NUG, reported 92 junta-led bombardments across 12 regions between 28 March and 8 April alone, with 72 civilians killed and 91 injured during that period.

 

The junta’s Thingyan bombing campaign underscores the relentless violence still gripping Myanmar more than four years after the military seized power. Even amid national mourning and religious observance, no place—monasteries included—has proven safe from the skies.

 

-2025-04-18