Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 12th April. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday has denounced deadly airstrikes carried out by the junta Armed Forces which killed at least 100 people in an opposition stronghold in the northwest of Myanmar.
According to news reports, military aircraft dropped bombs and fired on a crowd of people in Kanbulu Township, located in Sagaing Region, who had gathered that morning for the opening of a new town hall.
Mr. Guterres strongly condemned the attack and called for those responsible to be held accountable, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement issued in nNew York.
He offered his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, the statement stated.
SG called for the injured to be allowed urgent medical treatment and access to assistance, it said.
“The Secretary-General condemns all forms of violence and reaffirms the primacy of protection of civilians, in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the statement added.
Thousands of people have been killed since the coup, and the UN continues to speak out against the ensuing repression, human rights violations and abuses.
Mr. Guterres reiterated his appeal for the military to “end the campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country”, in line with a Security Council resolution adopted in December, the statement noted.
The resolution 2669 demands an immediate end to all forms of violence in Myanmar. It calls for restraint, de-escalation of tensions and the release of all prisoners.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk issued a statement, said he was “horrified” by reports of the airstrikes.
“It appears schoolchildren performing dances, as well as other civilians, attending an opening ceremony at the hall in Pazi Gyi village, Kanbalu Township were among the victims. A helicopter gunship then reportedly fired on those fleeing the hall,” he said.
He noted that despite clear legal obligations for the military to protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, “there has been blatant disregard for the related rules of international law.”
Mr. Turk called on all parties to take “all feasible precautions” to protect civilians from the effects of attacks, including by avoiding locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas.
“As I have previously noted, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the military and its affiliated militias are responsible for an extremely broad range of human rights violations and abuses since 1 February 2021, some of which may constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes,” Mr. Turk said.
He added “I firmly believe the international justice processes now underway will one day hold the military leadership accountable for such crimes.”
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