Myanmar: Amnesty International denounces ‘new wave of war crimes’ in country

Amnesty International today denounced “a new wave of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity” in Myanmar, where the junta has stepped up airstrikes and attacks on civilians.

The military, which ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s leader in a February 2021 coup, stepped up its attacks in eastern Myanmar from December to March, with ground forces carrying out extrajudicial executions, looting and looting. to set fire to villages, the non-governmental organization revealed in a report.

The airstrikes hit homes, health facilities, temples and churches. “In almost all of the attacks recorded, only civilians appear to have been present,” Amnesty International said in a statement.

The artillery also launched several days of attacks against villages, according to the testimonies of residents collected by the NGO.

After the 2021 coup, the clashes intensified in the eastern part of Myanmar, near the border with Thailand.

The junta has failed to neutralize its opponents: local militias backed by minority guerrilla groups. But even these are not strong enough to overthrow the army.

Amnesty International has identified a number of incidents that may be war crimes in Kaya State.

On Christmas Eve, more than 30 charred bodies of men, women and children were found in the area, a massacre attributed to the army.

In January, soldiers killed six people trying to escape to Thailand by crossing a river, the NGO said, citing an eyewitness.

In the same month, an IDP camp was the target of an airstrike that killed a man and two sisters.

All of these operations are “typical of a political collective punishment of civilians” that is seen as supporting the junta’s opponents.

“We are launching airstrikes whenever necessary,” said a junta spokesman.

The UN has already denounced “possible war crimes and crimes against humanity” following the coup. Nearly 1,900 civilians have been killed by security forces, including women and children. Nearly 14,000 have been arrested.

This is not the first time the Myanmar army has been charged with war crimes.

In 2017, more than 750,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority were forced to seek refuge in neighboring Bangladesh to escape military persecution, with the United States calling his actions “genocide.”

Source: Capital

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