Call for international investigation after airstrikes on Karenni schools
FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
Four children and three adults, including an elderly man, were killed, and another 23 were injured, in airstrikes and artillery attacks allegedly carried out by the military on two schools in Daw See Ei and Loi Nam Hpa villages of Demoso Township in Karenni State on Feb. 5.
“Two boys were killed at that [school]. Two more died later [due to injuries],” said a Daw See Ei resident. Nearly 200 students were in class when the airstrikes occurred. The two schools, a clinic, and a church were reportedly destroyed.
The Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC) claimed that at least 10 attacks occurred in Demoso Township. It called on the international community to take immediate action against the military for violating international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which states that “every child has an inherent right to life.”
“It is a war crime against humanity by the Burma Army. It did this on purpose,” said Banyar Khung Aung, the IEC second secretary. He requested assistance from the National Unity Government (NUG).
Regime media published a denial on Feb. 5 after DVB reported that the Burma Air Force carried out airstrikes on Karenni villages. It accused DVB of spreading false information.
The DVB Fact Check program followed up this accusation with a report that pro-military groups on the social media platform Telegram confirmed airstrikes were carried out on the People’s Defense Force (PDF) in Karenni State. It accused the PDF and members of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) of hiding out in the two villages and called for more attacks on them.
The Progressive Karenni People’s Force (PKPF), a group monitoring military atrocities, stated that 475 civilians have been killed in Karenni State over the last three years since the 2021 coup. It added that about 2,375 homes, 48 religious buildings, 22 schools and 14 hospitals and clinics have been destroyed.
