The bodies of the victims killed by airstrikes are shrouded in blankets at a building in Kanan village, Khampat town in Sagaing region on Sunday, Jan.7, 2024. Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on a village under the control of the pro-democracy resistance in the country’s northwest are reported to have killed at least 17 civilians, including nine children.
Mizzima
The National Unity Government (NUG) issued a statement on 9 January condemning a Myanmar junta air strike that killed 17 civilians including nine children in Sagaing’s Kanan Village on 7 January.
The following is the text of the NUG’s statement:
The Myanmar military launched a horrific air strike at Kanan Village, Tamu Township, Tamu District, Sagaing Division, on the morning of January 7, 2024 as the Kanan villagers filled the streets with the lively atmosphere of their Sunday church gatherings.
According to the information from the ground at the time of this statement, a total of 17 civilians including 9 children aged between 5 to 17 years old lost their lives, and 19 people were injured. Based on reliable sources of information from the National Unity Government (NUG), from the day of the unlawful military coup in 2021 to December 31, 2023, 627 underage children and 1,017 women have been killed.
There have been 583 instances of air attacks on civilians, resulting in 897 fatalities and 958 injuries, 76 religious buildings and 52 schools were destroyed. The Myanmar military is experiencing heavy losses in all fronts, including politics, the military, and diplomacy, leading them to increasingly target civilians using disproportionately strong weapons.
The Myanmar military persistently commits egregious violations of international laws, encompassing war crimes and crimes against humanity, while consistently disregarding the 5 Points Consensus of ASEAN and UN Security Council Resolution 2669. These transgressions involve the heinous acts of murdering and causing injuries to civilians, as well as the intentional targeting and destruction of properties. Such actions directly contravene numerous International and Regional Human Rights Treaties, Conventions on the Rights of Children, the Geneva Convention, and the Rome Statute. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has already called upon the Security Council to refer the Myanmar military’s widespread and systematic attacks on civilians as war crimes and crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court.
The National Unity Government (NUG) is committed to apprehending and holding accountable not only those directly responsible for the attacks but also those who supported or issued orders for such actions, utilizing the domestic justice system. The NUG also urges United Nations Member States to collectively take decisive action against the military council, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2669. This includes imposing stronger economic sanctions and formulating a new resolution to halt the import of jet fuels and weapons for the military. Furthermore, we call for collaborative actions to prosecute the Myanmar military using the universal jurisdiction mechanism, either through individual member states or via international and regional legal systems.
Courtesy of the National Unity Government
