On April 11th, witnesses, members of a pro-democracy group and independent media reported that airstrikes by Myanmar's military killed as many as 100 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony held by opponents of army rule. The military has increasingly used airstrikes to counter the widespread armed struggle against its rule, which began in February 2021 when it seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, more than 3,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed by security forces.
According to a witness who spoke with The Associated Press, a fighter jet dropped bombs directly into a crowd of people who were gathering for the opening of a local office of the country's opposition movement outside Pazigyi village in Sagaing region's Kanbalu township. The area is about 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. About half an hour later, a helicopter appeared and fired at the site. The witness, who asked not to be identified for fear of punishment by the authorities, reported that women and 20-30 children were among the dead, including leaders of locally formed anti-government armed groups and other opposition organizations.
Initial reports put the death toll at around 50, but later tallies reported by independent media raised it to about 100. It is difficult to independently confirm details of the incident due to restrictions on reporting by the military government.
The opposition National Unity Government (NUG), which calls itself the country's legitimate government in opposition to the army, called the attack a "heinous act by the terrorist military" and a war crime. The office being opened was part of the NUG's administrative network. The military government's spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, acknowledged that the ceremony had been attacked but accused anti-government forces in the area of carrying out a violent campaign of terror. He said the People's Defense Forces (PDF), the armed wing of the NUG, had terrorized residents into supporting them, killing Buddhist monks, teachers, and other people, while the military sought peace and stability. He claimed that there was evidence the attack had set off secondary blasts of explosives hidden by the PDF around the site.
The military government often accuses pro-democracy forces of terrorism in response to accusations of abuses. However, analysts for the United Nations and non-governmental organizations have gathered credible evidence of large-scale human rights abuses by the army, including the burning of entire villages and displacement of more than a million people, triggering a humanitarian crisis.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army takeover triggered widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict. The army has been conducting major offensives in the countryside, where it has faced some of the toughest resistance in Sagaing, in Myanmar's historic heartland. The resistance forces have no defense against air attacks.
Videos of the devastated village seen by The Associated Press show survivors and onlookers stumbling through the area of the attack amid clouds of thick smoke, with only the skeleton frame of one building still standing in the distance. Motorbikes remained intact while others were reduced to their frames or buried under tree branches. Amnesty International has called on all states and businesses to stop shipments of aviation fuel that may end up in the hands of the Myanmar military to halt the "relentless air attacks" across the country.