CJ

 

 

Eight civilians have been killed and dozens more injured in a series of junta airstrikes in Myanmar’s Sagaing region, local residents told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday, as the military ramps up assaults despite a declared ceasefire.

 

The weekend bombings targeted six villages in Kale township—Nat Chaung, Nat Myaung, Ngapha, Than Po, Chaung Gwa, and Aung Chan Thar. Among the dead were seven women and one man. At least 28 others were wounded.

 

Sagaing has become the frontline of Myanmar’s resistance movement since the military coup in 2021. The region, also hard-hit by last month’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake, has seen repeated raids, arson attacks, arrests, and now intensified airstrikes from regime forces.

 

According to one resident, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, the death toll could have been even higher. “People had built bomb shelters and defences, which reduced casualties,” he said, though many villagers have now fled and full numbers remain uncertain.

All victims were civilians, he added.

 

The attack follows the junta's recent ceasefire deal with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army in Shan state, a move critics say has allowed the military to redirect firepower to other regions—particularly Sagaing and Mandalay.

 

The country’s exiled National Unity Government (NUG) sharply condemned the strategy. “These agreements often mask plans to intensify attacks elsewhere,” said Nay Bone Latt, spokesperson for the NUG Prime Minister’s Office. “Unity among resistance forces is crucial. Fragmentation plays directly into the junta’s hands.”

 

Since the earthquake on 28 March, junta forces have launched 225 airstrikes, with over half taking place in Sagaing and Mandalay, according to NUG data. The bombings have killed 242 people, including 29 children, and injured nearly 400.

 

Despite the military’s formal ceasefire from 2 to 30 April, the violence has only escalated. Attempts to reach junta officials for comment went unanswered.

 

For the people of Sagaing, air raid shelters and uncertainty have become part of daily life—underlining the grim reality of a conflict that shows no sign of slowing.

 

-2025-05-01

It is much easier for the illegal Myanmar government to bomb, kill and injure innocent civilians, than it is for then to attack armed freedom resistance fighters who fight back.