Myanmar: Seven killed in military strikes on village in Sagaing

The Myanmar military launched several air strikes on a village, killing seven civilians. The latest strikes come amidst ongoing rule by the generals that seized power from the country’s elected government.

On Thursday, an eyewitness account and BBC Burmese reported that the Myanmar military launched air strikes in the country’s central region of Sagaing, killing seven civilians. Military planes reportedly dropped bombs during a donation ceremony that was taking place in the Moe Tarr Lay village in the township of Katha on Wednesday.

Seven people were killed, some of which were unrecognizable due to the extent of the burns. Five others were injured in the bombing. The villagers have since fled the place in fear of future strikes from the military, one resident told Reuters.

The bombing was the latest violent incident in which the military was involved after the country’s generals seized power from the country’s elected government in February 2021. Thousands of those opposing the coup were detained, while hundreds of people were killed in the military’s crackdown to silence the protests. The military is also facing opposition on multiple fronts by armed resistance groups.

In a report by Reuters Sunday, documents viewed by the outlet found that an Israeli software company won a tender to sell intercept spyware to the Myanmar state-backed telecommunications company a month before the generals staged the coup. The deal was made despite a 2017 ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court to stop transferring defense technology to Myanmar.

The findings emerged in a legal complaint that was recently filed with the Israeli attorney general, led by top human rights lawyer Eitay Mack, who also led the legal campaign that led to the 2017 ruling by the country’s high court. Mack has called for a criminal investigation to be made into the deal, accusing the software company along with unnamed defense and foreign officials that oversee such deals of “aiding and abetting crimes against humanity in Myanmar.”

Mack filed the complaint on behalf of over 60 Israelis, including a former speaker of the House, prominent activists, academics, and writers. The documents about the deal were provided by the rights group Justice for Myanmar, which included a January 2021 letter with attachments from the Myanmar state-run telecom company to local regulators, listing the Israeli firm as the winning vendor for intercept technology a month before the coup took place.