at least one daily shelling by the army since the beginning of 2023

Between January and February, at least 53 airstrikes and around 140 bombs were launched in the townships of Mindat, Hakha, Matupi and Thantlang, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization. Activists are calling for tougher penalties against those who sell fuel. The troops of the coup junta look for new recruits among poor and struggling families.

Yangon ( / Agencies) – Myanmar’s coup junta, desperate for new recruits, has launched airstrikes against some townships in the western Burmese state of Chin at least once a day in the first two months of 2023. According to Chin Human Rights Organization, a group of local activists, there were 53 airstrikes and nearly 140 bombs in the townships of Mindat, Hakha, Matupi and Thantlang between January and February, killing eight people and injuring six. According to the CHRO, the worst affected area was Thantlang, where 41 airstrikes took place and 115 bombs fell.

Myanmar’s ethnic militias – which were formed at the time of the country’s independence and have allied with other armed groups in the civil war against the Burmese army after the coup on February 1, 202 – say that the shelling of the junta have increased to counter the fierce resistance of the guerrillas in some areas of the country. However, the worst affected are mainly civilians, who are forced to leave their homes, local sources told Radio Free Asia. For their part, the resistance fighters announced that they will build bomb shelters for the population.

“There is no fighting on the ground,” said Salai Htet Ni, a spokesman for the Chin National Front. “They mainly launch airstrikes to annihilate us” because they have proven to be effective. According to representatives of the Karenni ethnic group, in the eastern state of Kayah the coup junta has carried out at least 177 airstrikes since February 2021, without distinguishing between civilians and members of the resistance forces.

The increase in the number of bombings has also been confirmed by a report released on 3 March by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, according to which the junta’s airstrikes have more than doubled, from 125 in 2021 to 301 in 2022. Earlier this month, several humanitarian organizations called for tougher sanctions against Asian and European companies that sell fuel that ends up in the hands of the Burmese army and allows planes to fly.

The junta is also trying to recruit new troops from among the poor families most affected by the conflict, especially young, uneducated and unemployed people, easier to convince simply because joining the army guarantees them food and a fixed salary. At the same time, unlike the first few months after the coup, there was also a drop in defections because if caught, the punishment is three years in prison and torture, with possible repercussions for families.