Published on : 04/06/2022 – 14:29
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Myanmar’s army burned down hundreds of buildings during a three-day raid in the northern Sagaing region, residents and local media have accused.
According to local residents and media, soldiers set fire to hundreds of houses in three days last week in Kinn and Ke Taung villages in Sagaing region. The raid began on May 26. Soldiers burst into villages firing in the air, scaring residents away, a resident said on condition of anonymity.
smoke columns
« The next morning we saw smoke rising from our village before they left “, he said again. ” More than 200 houses completely burned down. Mine was totally destroyed, only the concrete foundations remain “, added this man.
Images filmed from a drone, obtained by AFP, show columns of smoke rising from the villages in question, located on the banks of the Chindwin River. The French agency was able to verify that these images indeed showed these villages and that they had not been posted online before last week, but could not independently confirm the testimonies of the inhabitants. Satellite images provided by NASA also showed fires last week in the villages of Ke Taung and Kinn.
« My life is in ruins »
The soldiers « destroyed our homes said a Ke Taung resident who asked to use the pseudonym Aye Tin. ” And they also burned motorboats that we used for transport and to bring food to our village. “, he said. ” My life is in ruins, I lost my home and I have nothing left to live on he complained.
The Sagaing region has been the scene of heavy fighting and bloody reprisals since Myanmar’s military coup in 2021. A local “People’s Defense Force” regularly clashes there with troops from the ruling junta. According to analysts, this militia surprised the army with its effectiveness and the military repeatedly carried out air strikes in support of ground troops. The Burmese junta has repeatedly denied that the army burned down houses, attributing these abuses to “ terrorists ».
(with AFP)
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