Myanmar junta airstrikes killed over 359 civilians, including 61 children, and injured 756 others in the first four months of 2024, according to a recent study.
Civilian causalities in junta airstrikes have risen since the 2021 coup from 63 in 2021 to 260 in 2022 and 613 in 2023, the Nyan Lin Thit Analytica research group, which monitors regime atrocities, reported.
Regime shelling and airstrikes were reported each day across Myanmar between January and April this year, the report said.
It recorded 819 airstrikes across the country during the four months or at least six a day.
Rakhine State was targeted the most frequently with 187, followed by Sagaing Region with 119.
A total of 161 bodies’ genders could not be identified this year, the group said.
Junta airstrikes destroyed 50 religious buildings, 38 schools and 11 health centers during the four months, the research group reported.
A military analyst, who asked not to be named, said the airstrikes are expected to increase as junta ground forces lose more territory across Kachin, northern Shan, Rakhine, Karenni (Kayah), Chin and Karen states.
The airstrikes aim to stop revolutionary forces from establishing peace and stability in the liberated territory and prevent civilians from living peacefully, he said.
“The regime tries to destroy everything after it loses control,” the analyst said.
From January to April this year, Kachin State reported 92 airstrikes, Karen State 91, northern Shan State 80, southern Shan State 69, Chin State 59, Bago Region 29, Karenni State 26, Tanintharyi Region 24, Mon State 17, Magwe Region 17 and Mandalay Region nine, Nyan Lin Thit Analytica stated.
The organization said many airstrikes would have gone unreported because the survey relied on reports from anti-regime groups and the media.
The group reported six alleged uses of chemical weapons by the regime, in Ramree in Rakhine State on January 28, Kani in Sagaing Region on March 5, Hsihseng in southern Shan State on March 6 and Kawkareik in Karen State on April 18-20, citing anti-regime groups and residents.
Since the February 2021 coup, the report said the regime had conducted 2,471 airstrikes by April 30 this year, killing at least 1,295 people.
