The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said on Thursday (25 February) it was deeply concerned by reports that Myanmar military air strikes this week had killed at least five children and dozens of civilians, as fighting intensified across the country.
Powered paragliders reportedly dropped bombs on a village in the central Sagaing region on Monday.
A day later, a fighter jet struck a busy village market in Ponnagyun Township in Rakhine State, about 320 km to the west, according to the Arakan Army rebel group and local media.
The attacks reportedly killed at least 24 people and injured dozens more.
“Children and civilians are once again bearing the brunt of escalating hostilities, with the strikes in Rakhine State reported to have hit homes and a busy local market in a village hosting displaced families,” UNICEF said in a statement.
“Ongoing clashes continue to displace children and upend their access to vital services, including health care, education and protection,” the agency added.
The military government has not responded to requests for comment.
Khaing Thu Kha, a spokesperson for the Arakan Army, said: “Targeting and bombing civilian sites by the military is no longer an isolated occurrence ... We have seen a high frequency of deliberate attacks on civilians.”
UNICEF urged all parties to uphold international humanitarian law, adding, “Children must be protected at all times. UNICEF is responding to the needs of conflict-affected children and their families across Myanmar.”
While Myanmar has experienced decades of conflict between the military and ethnic armed groups, the current nationwide crisis intensified after the military coup in February 2021, when the armed forces overthrew the elected government, triggering mass protests and armed resistance.
Ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy militias are fighting government forces in multiple regions.
Since the coup, the crisis has escalated into one of Asia’s largest humanitarian emergencies, with thousands of civilians killed, widespread displacement, and severe disruption to basic services such as healthcare and education.
Air strikes, including on villages and markets, have become increasingly frequent, and children and other non-combatants are repeatedly caught up in the violence. Rights groups and the UN have repeatedly accused the junta of targeting civilian areas - allegations the military denies.
The U.S. will impose "never seen before" measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, Washington's Treasury Secreta...
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to abandon its next planned electromagnetic aircraft launch sy...
A diplomatic dispute has erupted between Cuba and the Dominican Republic after Santo Domingo ordered the withdr...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province. A man died of the virus in Bas-Uélé in the north, the African Union’s health agency said.
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to abandon its next planned electromagnetic aircraft launch system and return to steam-powered catapults on a future aircraft carrier, while also authorising limited overseas ship construction to help address naval capacity shortfalls.
A diplomatic dispute has erupted between Cuba and the Dominican Republic after Santo Domingo ordered the withdrawal of several Cuban diplomats and their family members, prompting a sharp response from Havana.
Brazil has taken the first formal step towards potential retaliatory action against the United States following the Trump administration's decision to impose new tariffs on Brazilian exports, signalling a further deterioration in relations between the two countries.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that reports about poor conditions aboard aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East were "completely misrepresented."
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment