By : Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
Myanmar Festival Bombing Kills 24
A festive holiday gathering in central Myanmar turned into a scene of horror on Monday evening when the country’s military launched a deadly aerial assault, killing at least 24 civilians and injuring 47 more.
The attack, which took place in Chaung U township in the Sagaing region, saw soldiers use motorised paragliders to drop bombs on a crowd of around 100 people. Witnesses say the event was both a celebration of a national holiday and a peaceful protest against military rule.
According to the spokesperson of Myanmar’s government-in-exile, the strike was “one of the deadliest in recent months” and underscored the junta’s growing reliance on airpower to suppress resistance.
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Seven Minutes of Terror
Local witnesses described the assault as sudden and devastating.
“It lasted barely seven minutes,” said a woman who helped organise the gathering. “Children were completely torn apart.” She added that rescue teams were still collecting body parts the following day.
Members of the local People’s Defence Force (PDF), an armed resistance group, said they had received intelligence of a potential airborne strike but were unable to evacuate the crowd in time.
Sagaing has been a stronghold of anti-junta resistance since the military seized power in a coup in 2021. Large portions of the region remain outside the regime’s control, held instead by the PDF and allied ethnic militias. However, in recent months the army has intensified its campaign of airstrikes and heavy shelling, regaining some territory.
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A New Tactic: Paragliders
Amnesty International condemned the bombing, calling it part of a “disturbing trend” of aerial attacks targeting civilians.
“This should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection,” said Joe Freeman, Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher.
The junta has increasingly turned to motorised paragliders as a low-cost alternative to conventional aircraft. International sanctions have restricted its access to spare parts and fuel for planes, but analysts say the military has been able to import technology and drones from China and Russia, giving it new battlefield capabilities.
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Protest Against Junta’s Rule
The gathering in Chaung U township had been organised as a candlelight vigil and protest against the junta’s policies. Demonstrators were demanding an end to military conscription, the release of jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and a rejection of the junta’s planned December elections.
The upcoming polls will be the first since the 2021 coup, but opposition parties have been banned, and voting will only take place in military-controlled areas. Critics say the elections are a sham designed to legitimise the regime’s grip on power.
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Calls for International Action
Rights groups have urged regional powers to act. Amnesty International and other organisations are calling on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to step up pressure on the junta when it meets later this month.
They argue that ASEAN’s diplomatic efforts so far have failed to protect Myanmar’s population. “The bloc’s approach has betrayed the Myanmar people,” Amnesty said in a statement.
The military coup of 2021 plunged Myanmar into chaos, ending a decade of partial democratic reforms. Since then, thousands of civilians have been killed, and millions displaced. Airstrikes on villages, schools, and places of worship have become common tactics, as the junta seeks to crush armed resistance and dissent.
Monday’s attack in Sagaing highlights the growing danger faced by civilians caught between the military and resistance forces. For many in Myanmar, a simple holiday celebration has become yet another reminder that nowhere is truly safe.
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