Myanmar’s regime conducted airstrikes on Sagaing Region and Kachin State on Thursday, hours after it declared a ceasefire for earthquake relief operations.
Five days after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, claiming over 3,000 lives, the junta on Wednesday announced a 20-day ceasefire until April 22.
The ceasefire declaration came before junta chief Min Aung Hlaing’s trip to Thailand for a seven-nation BIMSTEC regional summit after China urged the regime to ensure the safety of earthquake relief workers and supplies.
The Chinese call followed an attack by regime forces on a Chinese Red Cross convoy in northern Shan State.
On Tuesday, Min Aung Hlaing rejected a ceasefire from resistance groups, including People’s Defense Forces loyal to the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) and other armed organizations, vowing to continue military operations against opposition groups.
In response to the junta’s April 2 ceasefire declaration, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) declared a ceasefire until April 20, exempting defensive action.
But clashes between the KIA and the regime continued in Waingmaw Township near the Kachin State capital, Myitkyina, on Thursday morning. Regime airstrikes also targeted KIA-held Bhamo town and Indaw and Homalin townships in northern Sagaing Region.
KIA deputy General Gun Maw on Thursday posted a war map on Facebook, indicating that the regime launched an offensive on a KIA stronghold in Waingmaw Township on Thursday after conducting airstrikes on Wednesday.
Citing residents, Kachin media reported that the regime shelled and used drones to bomb KIA territory in Waingmaw.
On Thursday morning, a junta Y12 plane dropped 30 bombs on Bhamo town, which is mostly held by the KIA, according to KIA deputy’s war map. He said a Y12 dropped 45 bombs on Indaw town in Sagaing Region, which is mostly held by the KIA and its allies on Thursday.
A regime helicopter reportedly dropped 30 bombs on two villages in resistance territory in Homalin Township, Sagaing Region, on Thursday.
Clashes were reported with resistance groups in Salingyi Township, Sagaing Region, on Wednesday and Thursday as regime forces raided rebel territory.
Several regime airstrikes have targeted civilians and resistance groups in quake-hit areas.
The National Unity Consultative Council, which advises NUG, reported that in the five days since the quake, the regime launched 32 airstrikes on 11 locations, including quake-hit Sagaing and Mandalay regions, killing at least 50 civilians and injuring 49 others.
