More than 210 people were killed and 60 wounded in junta air strikes targeting civilians in six Myanmar regions and states that have become resistance strongholds from March 20 to April 18. The Irrawaddy recorded at least 28 junta air strikes in Sagaing and Bago regions and Chin, Kayah, Kachin and Karen states, mostly in civilian areas. Each air strike consisted of multiple shootings and bombings. Sagaing Region in northwest Myanmar suffered the most casualties. In one attack, junta aircraft dropped two bombs on Pazi Gyi village last week, killing 175 people including children, according to people on the ground. This was the deadliest air strike on civilian targets since the 2021 military coup. Last October, an air strike on a concert in Kachin State killed over 80 civilians. At least six air strikes in Chin State in the past month claimed 21 civilians. Southeastern Myanmar’s Kayah State, where junta ground troops have suffered heavy casualties, has been hit by regular air strikes and shelling, killing at least five civilians including medical workers. One civilian in Karen State also perished in the air strikes last month. A report issued by the United Nations Human Rights Office in March said the number of junta air raids between February 2022 and January 2023 more than doubled from a year earlier, from 125 to 300.
