Junta airstrike kills 11 schoolchildren in Myanmar village, says Unicef

At least 11 schoolchildren died in an air strike and firing on a Myanmar village, stated Unicef. The nation’s junta claimed the assault was focused at rebels hiding within the space.

Damaged college constructing in Depeyin township in Myanmar’s northwest Sagaing area after an assault on the village by a Myanmar army helicopter. (AFP photograph)

At least 11 schoolchildren died in an air strike and firing on a Myanmar village, the UN kids’s company stated, an assault the nation’s junta stated focused rebels hiding within the space.

Myanmar has been in chaos for the reason that army seized energy in a coup in February final yr, with practically 2,300 civilians killed in a crackdown on dissent in accordance with a neighborhood monitoring group.

The Sagaing area within the nation’s northwest has seen a few of the fiercest preventing, and amid clashes between anti-coup fighters and the army, total villages have been burned down.

The UN kids’s company Unicef condemned Friday’s incident in Depeyin township in Sagaing.

“On 16 September, at least 11 children died in an air strike and indiscriminate fire in civilian areas,” Unicef stated in an announcement issued Monday.

It stated faculties have to be protected and by no means focused.

“At least 15 children from the same school are still missing,” Unicef stated, calling for his or her quick protected launch.

Video footage obtained from a local people group exhibits a classroom with blood on the ground, injury to the roof and a mom crying over her son’s lifeless physique.

The junta confirmed that they had despatched troops in helicopters to the village after receiving a tip-off that fighters from the Kachin Independence Army — an ethnic insurgent group — and from a neighborhood anti-coup militia had been shifting weapons within the space.

The army accused the insurgent fighters of utilizing civilians as human shields, and stated it had seized mines and explosives from the village.

Save the Children Asia Regional Director Hassan Noor expressed condolences to the households and stated faculties needs to be off limits and the protection of scholars protected.

“How many more incidents like this need to take place before action is taken?” Noor stated, urging the UN Security Council and Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) to take swift motion.

Asean has led thus far fruitless diplomatic efforts to resolve the disaster in Myanmar and its leaders will meet in Phnom Penh in November to debate restricted progress on a peace plan.

— ENDS —