News Release
Myanmar Military’s Aerial Bombings in Karenni and southern Shan State Targets Civilians
March 16, 2025
BWCI field investigation confirms: Myanmar junta’s aerial bombing campaign deliberately targets civilian infrastructure
Photo and video evidences, along with first-hand testimonies from survivors in Karenni State, Myanmar, gathered by Burma War Crime Investigation (BWCI) confirms that the bombing raids of the Myanmar junta systematically target civilian infrastructure. BWCI is urging the international community to investigate, hold the regime accountable and impose a ban on jet fuel to weaken the military’s capacity for committing atrocities.
BWCI, a non-profit organization founded in the wake of the military coup, has documented information related to the junta’s murder of at least 11 civilians in Demoso Township of Karenni State and Pekon Township of southern Shan State. These incidents occurred between November 2023 and April 2024. The team specifically focused their on-the-ground investigations on aerial bombings, aiming to assess their impact and identify those responsible.
BWCI interviewed 20 witnesses with direct knowledge of the airstrike attack and three other individuals including a defector pilot and head of the IIMM.
The investigation led BWCI to conclude that the attacks represent calculated acts of terror aimed at dismantling communities and suppressing resistance. The incidents below are striking examples of the State Administration Council’s blatant disregard for human life.
Attack on a bridge in Demoso
Resistance groups in Karenni State launched a military operation on November 11, 2023, attempting to seize the city of Loikaw. On November 16, 2023, a bridge in Hpa Yar Hpyu Village, which connects Demoso and Loikaw townships, was attacked by an airstrike from the military around 12 p.m. In this incident, Sa Myo Htet, a 48-year-old man who was traveling from Demoso to Loikaw, was killed.
Pin Lae – not his real name – a man who witnessed the death of Sa Myo Htet, said:
“We all went to hide under the bridge. But, the first bomb hit the other side of the bridge and the second hit very close to us. There were seven of us under the bridge. Only one person wasn’t wounded. After the jet fighter dropped the bomb and flew away, when we lifted our heads from the spot where we had crouched down and looked, U Myo Htet turned towards me and collapsed and breathed out. When I looked at him, there was a hole in his temple.”
Attack on the Village School of Daw Si Ei
On February 5, 2024, the Daw Si Ei Village School in Demoso Township, Karenni State became the epicenter of tragedy. More than 200 students were present when Myanmar military aircraft bombed the facility. Four boys, Saw Al Lae Tha, 13; Khun Al Do Htoo, 14; San Hlaing, 14; and Christopher, 12; were killed instantly, and around 40 others were left with life-altering injuries.
Describing the scene, a schoolteacher said:
“The children were terrified, crying en masse. Teachers were paralyzed, unsure how to protect them.”
Hay Blute Moo, whose 13-year-old son died in the Daw Si Ei bombing:
“Before the jets arrived, reconnaissance drones hovered. When the bombs dropped, there was no time to react. I knew it was the school and feared the worst. I have to be strong for my younger children, though my heart is broken.”
Loi Nan Hpa High School targeted with artillery and aerial bombing
That same day, less than six kilometers away, the Myanmar military targeted Loi Nan Hpa High School with heavy artillery and aerial bombardment. While no students were killed, a 27-year-old rice mill owner, Wi Zinn Sho, was struck and killed by shrapnel.
His widow, Martina, recounted the heartbreaking moment:
“We tried to hide in the shelter. My husband thought the danger had passed and stepped out. The bomb struck before he could take cover again.”
In a chilling account, Maria, who lives in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp near Loi Nan Hpa School, described the prolonged attack:
“For an hour, they fired relentlessly. Bombs fell in pairs, followed by artillery. It was horrifying—children’s schools, not battlefields, were their targets. This was an act of inhumanity.”
Attacks on Hospitals and IDP Camps
The military’s disregard for civilian infrastructure extends beyond schools. On March 22, 2024, La Ei Rural Hospital in Pekon Township was bombed, killing two male civilians near the facility. They were a 47-year-old IDP, U Hla Khun and a villager, Kyaw Thar, 17 years old. The hospital staff and patients narrowly escaped by evacuating minutes before the attack.
Adding to the brutality, an IDP camp near the site of a victim’s funeral was shelled the following day. Villagers fled in fear, leaving burial rites incomplete.
A grieving daughter shared,
“It was when we were about to bury my father that the bombing occurred. We hadn’t even fully buried him yet. [That place] was bombed as soon as the priests arrived and finished the praying. All the villagers, fearing for their safety, fled. Once they fled, they left the bodies as it were. After things had calmed down a bit, we returned and quickly buried the bodies. ”
Later that month, on April 11, 2024, an airstrike on a home in Loi Yin Village in Pekon Township killed a woman and two children: Daw Mu Sue, a 65-year-old woman, Thandar Oo, a 12-year-old girl, and San Min Aung, a 3-year-old boy.
Systematic targeting of civilians: a Military Doctrine
The Myanmar military’s actions are part of a calculated strategy to suppress dissent and punish communities perceived as supportive of resistance groups that oppose the 2021 coup. BWCI interviewed Former Air Force Captain Zay Thu Aung. He revealed that such brutality stems from long-standing military doctrines:
“Infantry soldiers are trained to retaliate harshly if their columns are attacked, targeting entire villages indiscriminately. Civilians are accused of aiding resistance forces, making them deliberate targets in this campaign.”
These decisions flow through a hierarchical command structure, implicating frontline officers, Regional Military Commanders, and ultimately, the Commander-in-Chief in Naypyidaw, the capital.
The airstrikes in Karenni State are a devastating part of a much larger pattern of escalating violence carried out by Myanmar’s military since the 2021 coup. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2024) reports that more than 5,000 civilians have lost their lives across Myanmar since the military seized power.
Implications Under International Law
The targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure violates international humanitarian law, explained Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM).
“Airstrikes could be either a crime against humanity or it could be a war crime. It’s a war crime if any kind of attack, including an air strike, is directed at those not directly participating in the conflict. If the attack was part of a systematic or widespread attack on a civilian population, it could be considered a crime against humanity. It’s not uncommon that the same act could be classified as both a crime against humanity and a war crime.”
Koumjian emphasized the importance of collecting evidence of intent and joint command responsibility in prosecuting these crimes.
“The more difficult part is who is responsible, who ordered the attack, what they knew, what their intent was when they ordered the attack, and whether they knew it was a civilian target that was going to be hit. So, it’s difficult but not impossible to prove.”
BWCI calls for urgent action
The following is needed to protect civilians from further harm and to hold those responsible accountable:
Thorough Investigations: The National Unity Government (NUG) and international mechanisms like the IIMM must conduct independent, transparent investigations into these atrocities.
Global Pressure: The United Nations and allied nations must impose targeted economic sanctions on the Myanmar military and its related businesses as well as partners while expanding humanitarian aid to affected regions.
Protection of Civilians: Immediate measures are needed to establish safe zones for displaced populations and prevent further airstrikes on civilian areas.
