Myanmar Junta Blamed for 200 Deaths Despite Post-Quake Ceasefire, UN

[geovalin]

TNLA

 

The United Nations has condemned Myanmar’s military for launching over 240 attacks since a devastating earthquake, killing more than 200 civilians despite a declared ceasefire meant to enable aid delivery.

 

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk issued a stark rebuke on Friday, warning that “unremitting violence” continues to inflict suffering on an already devastated population. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck on 28 March killed nearly 3,800 people and briefly prompted a ceasefire agreed by both the junta and its opponents to facilitate relief efforts.

 

But according to Türk, between the quake and 29 April, Myanmar’s military carried out at least 243 assaults, including 171 airstrikes. “The vast majority of these attacks occurred after the ceasefire was announced,” he said, accusing the military of allowing the truce to lapse without honouring its spirit.

 

The military seized power in a 2021 coup, toppling the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and plunging the country into civil conflict. Now, in the aftermath of natural disaster, the junta stands accused of compounding the suffering of civilians through renewed violence.

 

“It is imperative that the military immediately stop all attacks on civilians and civilian objects,” Türk urged. He added that nearly 20 million people in Myanmar depend on humanitarian aid — a lifeline now jeopardised by airstrikes and ground assaults.

 

“The people need peace, protection, and access to basic necessities. Instead, they face bombs,” he said.

 

The UN is demanding unfettered humanitarian access and calling for a return to democratic rule. As the junta renews its military campaign, global pressure is mounting for accountability and a genuine end to hostilities.

 

-2025-05-05

[billd766]

It is what many dictators and illegal military coup leaders do on a regular basis. They have no interest in reality nor in the population that they are controlling. They understand only violence, which keeps the population cowed, and makes them richer.