July 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Burmese government in exile has denounced the death of eleven civilians in a massacre committed by the military in the Sagaing region, in the center of the country, the scene of an armed conflict between the Army and resistance groups and other militias that have been up in arms for more than two years against the military junta that led the coup in February 2021.
The attack took place last Thursday in the town of Sone Chaung, in Yinmabin township, according to local residents. There, a group of Burmese soldiers launched an assault against the local population and the three militiamen who were protecting the area.
After beheading these three guerrillas, the military proceeded to kill eleven civilians, all men. Neighboring residents found the bodies soon after, all bearing signs of torture.
The 14 bodies were cremated last Friday while media reports close to the military junta claimed that all the deceased were militiamen, according to The Irrawaddy, linked to the opposition against the military.
Shortly after, the Minister for International Cooperation of the Government of National Unity (the Burmese government in exile), Salai Maung Taing San, known as “Dr. Sasa”, denounced what happened as the latest of “around 80 massacres” committed by the military of the junta since the coup.
“These genocidal soldiers hide behind secrets while evading international scrutiny, but we cannot continue to be silent observers. We have to take decisive action now,” he said in a message posted on his Facebook page.
Burma has been plunged into a serious crisis since the coup and, according to United Nations estimates, more than 560,000 people have been displaced by the violence. The death toll is almost impossible to verify, but local NGOs such as the Association of Political Prisoners of Burma point to some 3,800 civilian deaths since the coup.
