Myanmar’s ruling military junta claims that rebel fighters this week killed 15 people during an attack on a village in the Sagaing region.
The rebels are part of the People’s Defence Forces (PDF), a coalition of militias across Myanmar who are fighting to overthrow the military junta in favour of the National Unity Government. The military seized power in a coup in 2021, overthrowing the democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi.
The alleged attack was reportedly carried out using handmade mortars.
Since the coup, armed resistance to the junta has grown across the country. Burmese civilians from the cities have joined already active ethnically based rebel groups such as the Karen National Union and Shan State Army or started new militias in an effort to return the country to civilian rule.
The rebellion has seen the junta carry out a brutal counter-insurgency campaign, burning villages and using executions, rape and torture to suppress dissent.
Many details of the conflict remain difficult to verify as the junta tightly restricts travel around the country.
[Image: Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash]