Investigators document 80 air attack incidents since Myanmar earthquake, despite junta ceasefire

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Mizzima

One month on from the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, investigators at the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) Myanmar Witness project have documented 80 air attack incidents across multiple regions, despite a temporary ceasefire declared by the Myanmar junta or State Administration Council (SAC) on 2 April 2025. The incidents documented include both potential airstrikes and paramotor attacks – aerial attacks involving small motorised paragliders.

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on 28 March, causing severe damage to homes and infrastructure and reportedly affecting more than two million people. Analysis carried out by Myanmar Witness at the time documented how the SAC continued its attacks in the emergency-declared areas of Myanmar following the natural disaster, with one incident reportedly occurring just minutes after the earthquake struck.

Attacks continued in the seven-day mourning period announced by the SAC between 31 March and 6 April, and following the ceasefire declaration. The Myanmar Air Force (MAF) is the only actor in the conflict with access and capacity to use aircraft capable of carrying out an airstrike.

Between 28 March and 24 April, 80 air attack incidents were logged by Myanmar Witness. Incidents range in severity and vary in terms of levels of confidence. Not all have been fully confirmed or geolocated due to a lack of open source material.

Of these, 65 events were recorded following the ceasefire declaration on 2 April. Incidents took place across 12 different states and regions, indicating the wide geographical scope of the military operations.  51 townships were impacted.

The states with the highest number of documented incidents were Sagaing (24), Mandalay (14), and Chin and Kayin (8 each).

Notably, several incidents assessed as likely airstrikes or heavy weapon attacks took place between 31 March 2025 and 1 April 2025, during the national mourning period and just hours before the SAC’s ceasefire began. These include the bombing of Indaw Myoma Monastery, Sagaing, on 1 April, and on the same day, the bombing of Loi Hkwin village in Shan State.

Three separate airstrike incidents were documented on 9 April 2025 in Sagaing Region and Chin State. These reportedly resulted in dozens of civilian casualties, including women and children, and significant infrastructure damage.

Nan Khan village tract, in Wuntho, Sagaing, was reportedly hit twice on 9 April – first at approximately 15:00 and again at around 18:00 local time. Over 20 civilians, including children, were reportedly killed, although the exact number remains unconfirmed at the time of writing. User-generated content (UGC) of the damage areas – which Myanmar Witness cross-referenced with satellite imagery – is consistent with reports of the two separate airstrikes occurring on the same day.

Robert Dolan, Myanmar Witness project director, said: “Myanmar’s population was already on its knees after years of SAC aggression and armed conflict. The layers of suffering are hard to comprehend – we’ve seen regions wrecked by war and then the earthquake, only to sustain further damage from continued airstrikes.

“The open-source data we’ve compiled – and the scale of the incidents documented – raise serious doubts about the SAC’s sincerity in declaring a ceasefire in the first place, and highlight what appears to be a complete disregard for civilian lives at a time when communities are already so vulnerable.”

An FCDO Spokesperson said: “We are appalled to see this evidence of ongoing airstrikes by the military regime during their ceasefire and at a time of national disaster.

“All attacks on civilians must stop now. Once again, we call for all actors to protect civilians in Myanmar, for unimpeded humanitarian access, and for the military regime to uphold the ASEAN Five Point Consensus, which remains critical in finding a path to peace in Myanmar.”

To carry out the analysis, Myanmar Witness gathered UGC from social media and news outlets, triangulating images and videos with satellite imagery where possible. The documented air attack incidents have been published today in an interactive, open-source map on the CIR website, though publication of the full dataset is ongoing.

Several incidents, especially from the post-ceasefire period, remain unconfirmed or categorised as low confidence due to the absence of verifiable UGC. This is partly due to an apparent rise in reporting delays, where information surfaces several days after an incident.

Since the 2021 military coup, internet access has been heavily restricted in regions such as Chin, Kayah and Sagaing, where armed clashes, potential human rights abuses, and earthquake-related displacement are ongoing. Such connectivity issues continue to hinder the availability of timely and reliable reporting from the ground. Myanmar Witness continues to monitor the situation.

Releases New Briefing Paper

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The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma Releases New Briefing Paper,
Beneath the Cracks: Devastation and Destruction by the Junta
in the Earthquake Aftermath

28 April 2025

One month ago, on 28 March 2025, a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in Burma, severely impacting the Sagaing region and Mandalay as well as neighbouring states and townships. Damage was extensive and widespread, with estimates from the United Nations that at least 2.5 million tonnes of debris needed to be removed. Despite the destruction, the military junta did not cease its attacks on innocent civilians, including survivors of the earthquake, prompting outrage and calls for international and regional actors to support vulnerable communities.

In the latest briefing paper by the Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma), titled “Beneath the Cracks: Devastation and Destruction by the Junta

in the Earthquake Aftermath,” member organizations provided data and context for the human rights violations perpetrated by the junta.

Civilians remain in distress due to the escalating shelter crisis, with survivors hesitant to return to their respective homes because of the junta’s presence. The regime’s assaults commenced within 48 hours following the natural disaster, leaving many grappling to rebuild their lives after losing their homes, possessions, and loved ones. The actions of the junta are in clear violation of international laws and humanitarian principles. In addition to targeting affected communities, relief convoys attempting to deliver life-saving assistance were also fired upon.

Several ND-Burma member organizations, including the Chin Human Rights Organization, the Pa-O Youth Organization, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland, and the Ta’ang Students and Youth Union, all documented extensive cases of attacks against civilians in the days and weeks which followed the earthquake. Amid the ongoing assaults, the junta exploited the natural disaster for their political agenda, prompting several trips to Bangkok, Thailand, to engage with ASEAN leaders in what have proven to be more futile attempts in their bid for legitimacy.

As people in Burma struggle to survive, there remain many unmet needs that are intentionally overlooked and dismissed by the junta as the regime moves to limit the scope of assistance being offered by international and regional relief groups. Their inhumane actions are only the latest in their mismanagement and corrupt rule of the country, which has continued to be embroiled in a worsening conflict and humanitarian crisis, fueled by the military’s selfishness, greed and complete disregard for innocent lives.

Furthermore, this briefing paper outlines the background of the earthquake and the situation that developed immediately afterward. Cases and data from ND-Burma members clearly indicate that the junta continues to engage in war crimes and crimes against humanity. We call for urgent action and accountability in response to the ongoing attacks in the country, which should include a global arms embargo and targeted sanctions on aviation fuel.

The people of Burma have suffered immensely since the failed coup, and during the decades prior in which the military has long sought violent control. There must be an end to the suffering of innocent communities through a coordinated response by international actors.

For more information:

Nai Aue Mon

Signal: +66 86 1679 741

San Htoi

Signal no: +66 64 9369 070


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The Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma (ND-Burma) consists of 13 organisations representing a range of ethnic nationalities, women, and former political prisoners. Since 2004, ND-Burma member organisations have been documenting human rights abuses and fighting for justice for victims. The network has nine full members and four affiliate members.

Beneath the Cracks

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Devastation and Destruction by the Junta in the Earthquake Aftermath

One month ago, on 28 March 2025, a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Burma and neighbouring Thailand. In an instant, lives were changed forever. Buildings buckled and fell to the ground, leaving many trapped and buried under rubble, fearing for their lives. Places of worship and religious sites were also shattered. Aftershocks continued in the weeks after the initial earthquake.

The hardest hit areas included the Sagaing and Mandalay regions. Eighty percent of the townships in Sagaing were destroyed. Recent estimates at the time of writing indicate that at least 3600 people were killed and thousands more wounded and missing, with more than 17 million living in the areas affected who are in urgent need of assistance.

International and regional emergency response teams were dispatched, and even the junta made a rare appeal for humanitarian assistance, though not without preceding their agenda. Those with immediate access to the country were the junta’s long-time allies, including Russia, India and China, with others, such as Taiwan, being denied entry.

Civil society organizations immediately cautioned against the junta’s weaponization of aid, which predates their response to previous natural disaster relief efforts in the country, including Cyclone Nargis in 2008, Cyclone Mocha in 2023 and, most recently, Typhoon Yagi last year.

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The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta

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The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma Releases New Briefing Paper,
The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription
by the Military Junta

23 April 2025


Today, the Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma) releases a new briefing paper titled, The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription by the Military Junta. ND-Burma is alarmed by the regime’s actions to not only illegally and violently force young men to join the military but also to engage in recent activities that include the forced enlistment of women. Our latest research finds that women face immense risks in junta custody, and the dangerous attempts to make them fight on the battlefield present additional risks that undermine their safety and security.

Despite the Burmese military claiming that women would not be enlisted following the enactment of the People’s Military Service Law, registration for women between the ages of 18 and 27 began at the start of the year, prompting fears and uncertainty. The junta’s forced conscription is seen as the latest attempt to distract from their losses on the battlefield and the many soldiers who have defected from their ranks and battalions.

ND-Burma members are concerned about the safety and security of young women and girls. The gendered impacts of forced conscription have been catastrophic across various communities in Burma, where mothers, daughters, sisters and even pregnant women have been separated from their families to be enlisted. In Southeastern Burma, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) reported that women forced to serve under the junta have begun training in Kyaikto township, Mawlamyine. In the Mon State Revolutionary Force (MSRF), hundreds of women fled to liberation areas after the announcement of the fifth batch of recruitment.

Among the many human rights violations women face if forcibly conscripted include human trafficking, displacement, sexual exploitation, trauma and distress, sexual violence and others.

Additional insights from our members, notably women-led organizations such as the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand, the Ta’ang Women’s Organization, and the Tavoyan Women’s Union, were contextualized through their documentation of crimes against women and young girls. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence collected by women-led civil society organizations, which makes clear that misogyny and violent behaviour are tolerated and excused by the military junta.

Moreover, it is abundantly clear that the forced conscription effort must be met with intervention by the international community to ensure that no lives are lost or harm is inflicted upon the men and women compelled to fight in a war brutally imposed by the Burmese Army.

Women have asserted that the future of Burma must include gender equality. These goals must be achieved simultaneously to ensure that all people, regardless of gender, are granted the same protections, freedoms, and fundamental rights. Women human rights defenders continue to advocate for gender equality and reliable justice pathways for victims of violence in Burma. They must be heard, and their calls must be transformed into policies and laws to protect all women.


For more information:

Nai Aue Mon

Signal: +66 86 1679 741

San Htoi

Signal: +66 64 9369 070

The Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma (ND-Burma) consists of 13 organisations representing a range of ethnic nationalities, women, and former political prisoners. Since 2004, ND-Burma member organisations have been documenting human rights abuses and fighting for justice for victims. The network has nine full members and four affiliate members.

The Enlistment of Women

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Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription
by the Military Junta

It has now been over four years since the military junta attempted a coup. During this time, there has been widespread resistance and stark opposition to the regime’s brutality. Despite the fact that the coup was unlawful, even according to the military-drafted constitution, the junta has continued to violate international norms and principles by launching violent attacks against the opposition. Ethnic communities, in particular, have been terrorized by the junta’s relentless gunfire in their villages and temporary shelters, even in the absence of armed actors.

More than 3.5 million people have been displaced since the failed coup. Children are being denied safe pathways to education, as schools are routinely bombed in aerial raids and bombardments. Families are struggling to find work to sustain their livelihoods due to the presence of military soldiers and landmines surrounding their homes and farms.

With dwindling access to food due to inflation and a lack of work opportunities, many who have been displaced have resorted to foraging and relying on local vegetation for sustenance.

The attacks by the Burmese Army are increasing as local people are being accused of harbouring soldiers from the armed resistance. Military checkpoints are also being frequently expanded and established in various parts of the country, especially along popular routes, where individuals are questioned, extorted, and often disappear.

Many of the men and women who are stopped and interrogated find themselves being forcibly enlisted as part of the junta’s unlawful conscription efforts.

The People’s Military Service Law mandates conscription but had not been enforced for over a decade. However, last year, the junta began implementing it for the first time since it was passed, requiring men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to enlist.

The timing of its enactment is indicative of the junta’s desperation amid its increasing losses on the battlefield. Reports from the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), suggest that conscripted individuals, often youths, are deployed to front-line battles and forced to fight under the threat of violence.2 Though the law has now been in effect for over a year, regulations of the People’s Military Service Law were only recently passed in January2025, with several updates made.

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Myanmar junta kills 50 civilians in 3-day countrywide air raids

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The exiled civilian government vowed to ‘punish’ the military regime for its violent crimes against the public.

Read RFA coverage of these topics in Burmese. 

A three-day onslaught of junta-launched airstrikes across four major areas spanning much of Myanmar’s central plains killed 50 people and injured nearly 80, sources told Radio Free Asia. 

Myanmar’s junta, which seized power in 2021, faces resistance from dozens of militias seeking autonomy. In response to insurgent attacks, the military has bombed villages suspected of sheltering rebels, often killing dozens of civilians. 

In the latest assaults, the junta killed 20 people in Singu township’s Kyi Tauk Pauk village and Thabeikkyin township’s Leik Kya and Yae Htwet villages in Manadalay region between Friday and Sunday.

“A 500-pound bomb fell. Four men and two women were injured, only those who were middle-aged,” said a Kyi Tauk Pauk resident, declining to be named for security reasons, adding that three dormitories at the local school were destroyed when a junta plane attacked around 2 p.m. on Friday. 

The airstrike on Leik Kya village killed 12 civilians, including one child, three women and eight men, and injured three others, said a member of a local Pyinoolwin militia under the arm of the exiled civilian National Unity Government, or NUG.

The plane came from Meiktila Air Base, on the border of Shan state and Mandalay region, dropping one 300-pound bomb and opening fire on the village, said a member of the militia, declining to be named for security reasons. 

Similarly, Saturday afternoon’s attacks on Yae Htwet left 24 people dead and nearly 20 injured when two bombs struck the village, residents said, adding that the death toll is likely to rise as many people are critically injured. 

Several young children were also killed in the attack, said one resident, declining to be named for security reasons.

‘Ceasefire’

The NUG announced on Monday it would take all actions necessary to punish military for its violent crimes against the public. Despite ceasefires declared by both the junta and NUG following the country’s March 28 earthquake that left thousands dead, struggles for territory, ending in junta bombings, have continued. 

Other attacks also targeted villages across Rakhine state and Sagaing region. Both are considered to be hotbeds of insurgent activity under both NUG-led militias and the Arakan Army, which has captured 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships in its fight for self-determination. 

Junta airstrikes on a residential ward of Rakhine’s Kyauktaw town, which remains under military control, on Saturday afternoon. killed two civilians and injured 20 others, including three children, residents said. 

A junta plane attacked a monastery in Mon state’s Bilin township on Saturday morning during a religious ceremony. The airstrike killed 10-year-old monk Kaylatha, 60-year-old Ma Wai and 69-year-old Hla Myint, the rebel administration Karen National Union, which controls parts of Kayin and Mon states, announced on Sunday. Nine more civilians were injured.

In Sagaing region, two bombs dropped on a store in Thin Taw village on Sunday evening killed six family members, said one resident, who requested to remain unnamed for fear of reprisals. 

“One bomb hit the store exactly and killed the whole family,” he said. “They were all just civilians, three men, three women, all dead.”

He listed the family members as 20-year-old Mi Thay; 30-year-old Min Min; Khin Ma, who was around 50 years old; and also Kyaw Min Kyi; Phone Maw; and a woman known as ‘Mrs. Saw,’ all identified without ages. 

Two other men were injured in the attack, residents said. 

In Myinmu township, junta forces bombed a camp for internally displaced people on Saturday morning, killing three civilians and injuring eight others, residents said, identifying them as displaced people including three-year-old Su Myat, 17-year-old May Zun Oo and 69-year-old Tin Maung.

Four others were injured including a five-year-old child, they said.

Junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun has not responded to RFA’s inquiries.

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