Junta has carried out a series of airstrikes targeting schools across the country, leaving 8 people dead, including children, and at least 22 others injured in bombings from October 1 to 14.
On October 13 alone, the regime bombed two schools in Shan and Chin states.
In northern Shan State’s Namsang Township, a junta jet fighter dropped six bombs on Kayahgyi Village around 1 pm. Two of the bombs exploded near a school, injuring 19-year-old Maung Ah Saw.
Locals in northern Shan State expressed fear and insecurity over the regime’s increasing airstrikes.
“Whenever I hear the planes, all I can think about is where to run and hide. The junta is bombing schools, monasteries, and churches. There’s no safe place for children, whether it’s at school or at home,” said a woman in Kyaukme Township.
A junta aircraft bombed a school in Vanha Village, Hakha Township, Chin State, around 10 am that same day. Locals reported that a 9-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy were killed, while a teacher and another child were injured.
“The junta has been bombing schools lately, so schools have had to close. The coup regime is targeting students, who are not part of any armed group, and there are no troops stationed in the schools. Even when schools are open, children are scared and no one dares to go,” said a resident of Hakha.
In response, the Central Executive Committee of the Chinland Defence Force – Hakha (CDF-Hakha) announced that all schools in Hakha Township would be temporarily closed due to the coup regime’s intensified aerial bombardments.
On October 8, the junta also bombed a school in Mindat Township, Chin State, killing three students and a disabled female dormitory worker, and injuring more than 10 others.
“The junta bombed Mindat Town about five times in the past 10 days, and it also bombed Matupi Town. It is killing people indiscriminately,” Salai Yaw Mang, spokesperson for the Chin Brotherhood Alliance, told DMG.
“The junta is deliberately bombing schools, monasteries, and churches even when no active fighting is happening. Its goal is to instill fear among locals and create obstacles for resistance forces trying to govern the areas they control,” he added.
On October 14, the junta launched an air raid on a school in Zeikonhuon Village, Namsang Township, killing two children and injuring nine others, including six children. The regime also bombed No. 2 High School in Thibaw (Hsipaw) Township and a Buddhist monastery in Kyaungsu Village on the same day, destroying 13 homes.
Since the 2021 coup, the junta has repeatedly targeted civilian locations across Myanmar, including schools, monasteries, displacement camps, and markets.
“You can see that the junta’s attacks on schools are causing many casualties among young students,” said a human rights activist. “Targeting children is likely intended to disrupt education and prevent a generation from accessing learning. Such vile actions are a blatant violation of international law, which clearly prohibits attacks on places not involved in combat,” he emphasized.
In early October, a National Unity Government (NUG) statement accused the junta of intensifying attacks on civilians including airstrikes, arrests, and mass killings, as the upcoming junta-supervised election approaches.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also condemned the junta’s targeting of schools and students on September 12, calling for an end to attacks on children across the country.
