A Myanmar military jet continued to fly sorties just over our hidden frontline hospital. Every time it screamed low over the tree line, the entire clinic would crouch down and pray that this wouldn’t be the strike that hit us. These hospitals are prime targets; the military has no qualms about bombing groups of wounded fighters and civilians alike.
I was on the frontlines in Karenni State, at the township of Bawlakhe, where the resistance was launching a large, multi-pronged offensive to seize one of the most strategically important towns in the region. The two main medics running the emergency ward were a husband and wife in their early 30s, former hospital workers who quit after the 2021 coup and joined the rebellion. They’ve seen four years of relentless war. The military deliberately murders its own people.
I’ve seen firsthand the destruction the regime’s airstrikes cause. While the world looks away as conflict breaks out in the Middle East, at least 6,231 civilians have been killed in Myanmar, including 1,144 women and 709 children, according to figures published in January that were compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and the United Nations. By late June, AP News reported that the number had climbed even higher, with more than 6,600 civilians killed in the aftermath of the coup. These numbers reflect a systematic campaign of violence, targeting not only resistance forces, but ordinary people caught in the crossfire.
No comments:
Post a Comment