Airstrikes by Myanmar military on a concert organized by a major ethnic rebel group killed about 50 people and wounded 70, rebels said on Monday (October 24). "Around 8:40 p.m. Sunday, two Myanmar military planes" attacked a ceremony. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) was holding its ground, Colonel Naw Bu told AFP. "About 50 people were killed, including KIA members and civilians," he said, adding that about 70 were injured. Local media reported that up to 60 soldiers and civilians were killed.
Images shared by local media reportedly show the aftermath, with debris strewn on the ground. The United Nations Office in Myanmar said it was "deeply concerned and saddened by reports of airstrikes that have taken place in Hpakant, Kachin State". "Initial reports indicate that more than 100 civilians may have been affected by the shelling," the statement read. "Several deaths were also reported. A spokesman for the board did not respond to a request for comment.
The US Embassy in Rangoon said "following reports of a military airstrike on a Kachin gathering that killed a large number of civilians." after last year's coup. VIOLENCE AT SCALE Myanmar has been in turmoil since a military coup last year, with parts of the country locked in fighting. Myanmar ahead of the November Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has spearheaded unsuccessful efforts to resolve the crisis, and the bloc is frustrated by escalating human rights atrocities. In September, at least 11 school children were killed in a military airstrike and gunfire on a village in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region. The junta said it helicoptered troops to Let Yet Kone after receiving a tip that KIA fighters and a local anti-coup militia were transporting weapons in the area. A number
of Myanmar's myriad ethnic rebel groups have has spoken out in support of the anti-coup movement by providing shelter and even training to activists. Last May, the KIA said it shot down a military helicopter during violent clashes near the far north town of Momauk.
According to a local monitoring group, more than 2,300 people have been killed and more than 15,000 arrested in the military crackdown by dissidents since the coup. The junta blames coup leaders for the deaths of nearly 3,900 civilians.