Military attack on Myanmar refugee camp results in dozens of fatalities and injuries.
Thousands of people who have been displaced by decades of conflict are living in a camp close to the Chinese border.
In a military raid on a camp for internally displaced people in northern Myanmar close to the border with China, at least 29 people—including children—have been killed.
The camp in Kachin state, close to the town of Laiza, was reportedly attacked late on Monday night, according to local media.
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The camp is a short distance from the Kachin Independence Army’s headquarters, which is embroiled in a protracted struggle with the Myanmar military.
Debris left over from the attack on the northern Myanmar refugee camp
Debris at the Laiza refugee camp following the military assault [Video from social media via Reuters]
According to Khon Ja, a local activist with the Kachin Peace Network Civil Society Organization, 29 people had been killed and 59 were injured when she visited the neighborhood hospital.
19 adults and 13 children from the camp were killed, according to a spokesperson with Kachin Human Rights Watch, who begged to only be known as Jacob for security reasons.
Images shared on social media showed rescuers removing remains in the dark alongside bamboo heaps and other trash.
Aung Myo Min, the National Unity Government’s (NUG) minister of human rights, denounced the attack as a “war crime” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to him, 56 people received injuries. Politicians who had been democratically elected but were ousted from power in the coup of February 2021 founded the NUG.
The United States denounced the incident.
Speaking on behalf of the US State Department, Matthew Miller said that Washington was “deeply concerned” about the attack and the casualty rate among civilians.
In a statement, Miller noted that more than 1.6 million people had been internally displaced as a result of the military’s seizure of power. “We strongly condemn the military regime’s ongoing attacks that have claimed thousands of lives since the coup and continue to exacerbate the region’s most severe humanitarian crisis,” Miller said.
Colonel Naw Bu of the KIA stated that the armed group was looking into the type of strike that had struck the camp.
He told the AFP news agency, “We did not hear any aircraft,” adding that they were investigating whether the military had used a drone in the strike.
After the military seized control and sparked a massive uprising, Myanmar was thrown into a crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the military’s alleged indiscriminate use of air attacks, artillery bombardment, and arson in the 53 million-person nation.
At least 60 people were murdered in military airstrikes during a KIA-organized celebration in Kachin in October of last year.
Among the victims were Kachin officials and soldiers, musicians, jade mining company owners, and other civilians.
In a statement, Miller noted that more than 1.6 million people had been internally displaced as a result of the military’s seizure of power. “We strongly condemn the military regime’s ongoing attacks that have claimed thousands of lives since the coup and continue to exacerbate the region’s most severe humanitarian crisis,” Miller said.
Colonel Naw Bu of the KIA stated that the armed group was looking into the type of strike that had struck the camp.
