An estimated 95 civilians, including 14 under-18s, were killed by Myanmar’s regime in December, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reported on Tuesday.
The junta’s airstrikes were the major killer, resulting in 45 fatalities, followed by shelling which left 30 dead, including 35 women, 59 men and one member of the trans community, the group reported on Tuesday.
Mandalay Region saw the highest death toll of 23, followed by Bago Region with 17, according to the AAPP.
In his Independence Day message on Saturday, junta boss Min Aung Hlaing said his regime was working to improve living standards and promote national development through better livelihoods.
But the regime’s arrests, killings and indiscriminate air campaigns continue.
On December 29, shelling targeted residential areas of Myitche town in Magwe Region, killing three children and two adults. On New Year’s Eve, airstrikes on Mandalay Region and Rakhine and Kayah (Karenni) states killed numerous civilians.
With the regime taking delivery of the last two of the six Su-30 fighter jets ordered from Russia in December, observers predict an increase in airstrikes.
The junta and its allies have killed at least 6,124 citizens since the 2021 coup, according to the AAPP.
On Monday, the EU, US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland and East Timor released a joint statement, saying the junta’s ongoing brutal oppression of Myanmar’s citizens is unacceptable.
The statement said regime airstrikes and other violence have displaced 3.5 million people and left around 15 million facing food insecurity.
The National Unity Government’s Human Rights Ministry this month said that junta rights violations nearly doubled during 2024.
