More than 3,000 civilians flee their homes in fighting between the military and rebel militias in Burma

June 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –

More than 3,000 civilians from eight villages in the Sagaing region, in north-central Burma, have fled their homes in recent days due to fighting between Burmese Army soldiers and rebel militias.

The military reportedly set fire to several houses in the town of Nyaung Pin Gyi, to which the rebel militias have responded by attacking a police station, an action in which a dozen people have died, according to the Irrawaddy news portal. Militia members of the Front for the Liberation of the Union and the Popular Defense Force have set fire to the police station.

The Armed Forces have sent an Mi-35 helicopter gunship to the area that has attacked the area for 30 minutes. Subsequently, a hundred soldiers attacked the town from the Letpadaung mine and burned several houses near the police station. The mine is operated by the Chinese company Wanbao.

As a result of the fighting, thousands of civilians have fled their homes to take refuge in monasteries and other villages, said a local activist, Lay Myar.

Burma has been plunged into a serious crisis since the coup in February 2021 and the Government of National Unity, the Burmese democratic authorities in exile, has denounced that the Army has committed more than thirty massacres of civilians throughout the country since the seizure of power.