Myanmar: At least 26, including six children, killed in fresh fighting between army and resistance fighters

At least 26 civilians, including six children, have been killed as a result of the recent fighting between Myanmar's army and local militant groups.

The recent round of fighting has taken place in Mobye, a cluster of villages, located about 100 kilometres east of the capital, Naypyitaw. The area is between the capital city and an area dominated by the Karenni ethnic minority group which is currently fighting against the military.

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Since the military removed Myanmar’s democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) in 2021 and overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi, the top leader has been forced to change her position on non-violence.

The country's parallel National Unity Government (NUG), formed out of the ashes of NLD, has established the People's Defence Force (PDF) which is responsible for training civilians to fight alongside established ethnic armed groups. Armed ethnic minority groups such as the Karenni, the Karen and the Kachin are part of this group.

Last month, over 100 soldiers marched into one of Mobye's villages and arrested about 100 residents, most of whom were released after being detained for a few days in the Buddhist monasteries.

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Villagers killed by army

However, some villagers who opted to hide in their homes to avoid arrest were perused and later shot at point-blank by the army. According to one of the villagers, as quoted by the Associated Press, those hidden were among the 26 people killed. They were either shotdead in their homes or when they went out onto the street.

Three local armed resistance groups have also blamed the army for the killings.The Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian organisation, also corroborated the claims made by the villager and said they had tallied the death count to 26.

PDF and ethnic groups have been regularly attacking military bases and outposts in the region. Experts believe that the massacre ordered by the army was a way to send a message to the resistance groups to curb their violence.

On Wednesday, a report published by the Peace Research Institute of Oslo stated that more than 6,000 civilians were killed in Myanmar in the first 20 months after the February 2021 military coup.

More than 23,000 people have been arrested by the junta since the coup in February 2021, according to a local monitoring group.

(With inputs from agencies)

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