More than 12,000 people fled Myanmar after army airstrikes

More than 12,000 displaced people fled Burmese army airstrikes in recent daysone of the main rebel factions said on Saturday, which called on Myanmar’s ethnic minorities to unite against the regime’s crackdown.

“More than 12,000 civilians have fled, causing major humanitarian crisis»Says the Karen National Union (KNU), one of the largest armed groups in the country.

React to the bloodbath of the security forces against opponents of the February 1 coup that overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the KNU last week seized a military base in the south-eastern state of Karen.

In retaliation, the military carried out airstrikes between March 27 and March 30 against KNU strongholds, the first in two decades in the region.

“Many civilians were killed, including minors and students. Schools, homes and towns were destroyed», Assured the KNU.

“We urge all ethnic minorities in the country (…) to take strong action and adopt sanctions” against those responsible, he said.

Civil war?

Since Myanmar’s independence in 1948, many ethnic armed factions have been in conflict with the central government for greater autonomy, recognition of its uniqueness, access to the country’s many natural resources, or some of the lucrative trade of Drugs.

In 2015, the military reached a ceasefire agreement with ten of the factions, including the powerful KNU.

“We hope that the majority of the members of the KNU will respect the ceasefire,” he said on Saturday to the AFP the spokesman of the military junta, ZawMin Tun, assuring that the airstrikes only lasted one day.

The ten rebel factions that signed the deal hold a meeting this weekend. Shortly after the coup, they assured that they would continue with the ceasefire, despite the generals starting the crackdown.

But since, “hundreds of civilians, minors, adolescents and women were killed“By the security forces,” they wrote in a statement on Saturday. “We will re-evaluate“Our position at the meeting,” they added.

Other armed groups have already supported the democratic mobilization and threatened to take up arms again against the junta, which is suppressing the uprising with blood and fire.

The United Nations (UN) envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, this week warned against the “unprecedented” risk of “civil war” in this country.

“This madness must stop”

At least 550 civilians have been shot dead by security forces in the past two months, according to the Association for Aid to Political Prisoners (AAPP).

There could be many more, as more than 2,700 people have been detained, without access to family members and lawyers. Many are missing.

The council also blocked internet access for a large majority of the population. But the pro-democracy movement is trying to find alternatives to organize itself.

In Dawei, in the south of the country, young people marched on Saturday with red flags of the National League for Democracy (NLD) of Aung San Suu Kyi. Other meetings were held across the country and at least three people were killed and several injured, according to witnesses reported to the AFP.

“The junta now uses machine gun grenades and other weapons of war against the Burmese people. This madness must endUN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews tweeted, calling for an arms embargo to be put in place.

But the UN Security Council remains divided. China and Russia are adamantly opposed to the idea of ​​the UN imposing sanctions, unlike the United States and the United Kingdom, which have already imposed them.

The military, which turns a deaf ear to international condemnation, justified the coup for alleged massive fraud in the November elections, which was won overwhelmingly by the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner’s party , 75 years old.

The generals have strengthened their judicial seat against Aung San Suu Kyi, arrested and charged with corruption and violating a colonial law on state secrets.

(With information from AFP)

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