An airstrike by the Myanmar military on a traditional festival and anti-government demonstration in the central city of Chaung U left more than 40 people dead, including children, and about 80 injured.
According to AFP, citing local sources and a member of the Thadingyut Full Moon Festival organizing committee who did not want to be named, participants had gathered for a traditional celebration and to hold a demonstration against the military rulers when bombs dropped from military aircraft landed on them.
The attack is part of an escalation in Myanmar’s internal conflict, which has left thousands dead and displaced more than 3 million people since the 2021 coup.
The People’s Resistance Forces (PDF) and ethnic armed groups, including the Arakan Army, are fighting the military, and airstrikes on civilian targets have become a worrying trend.
The United Nations and Amnesty International have warned that these actions could amount to war crimes and have called for an immediate independent investigation.
