At least 24 people were killed and 47 others wounded in central Myanmar when a motorised paraglider dropped bombs on a peaceful anti-junta vigil, marking one of the deadliest recent attacks by the country’s military regime, according to the government-in-exile.
The deadly strike occurred Monday evening in Chaung U township in Sagaing region, as around 100 people gathered to mark a national holiday and protest against military conscription and the upcoming election.
The area has been a key flashpoint in the ongoing civil conflict, with much of it under the control of local resistance militias aligned with the exiled National Unity Government (NUG).
A spokesperson for the NUG told BBC Burmese that the junta launched a sudden airborne assault on the gathering, using paramotors — lightweight motorised paragliders — to deliver explosives. “It was all over in just seven minutes,” said a local People's Defence Force (PDF) official, who suffered a leg injury in the blast. “We had intelligence about a possible air attack, but the paramotors arrived earlier than we anticipated.”
The aftermath was described as horrific. “Children were completely torn apart,” one event organiser told AFP, recounting the devastation as volunteers were still collecting body parts the following day.
Amnesty International condemned the strike, calling it part of a "disturbing trend" in the junta's increasing use of light aircraft and paramotors in lieu of conventional air power. “This should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection,” said Joe Freeman, the organisation’s Myanmar researcher.
With international sanctions limiting access to traditional military aircraft, the junta has reportedly turned to drones and paramotors, bolstered by military supplies from Russia and China. Analysts say this shift has intensified a brutal campaign of airstrikes and bombardments, allowing the military to regain ground after losing control of large parts of the country.
The vigil was also a call for the release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the ousted civilian leader detained since the 2021 coup.
The junta has scheduled general elections for December, but critics argue the poll is designed to entrench military power, lacking the conditions for a free and fair vote.
ASEAN, the Southeast Asian regional bloc, is due to meet later this month. Amnesty urged member states to abandon their ineffective diplomatic approach and escalate pressure on Myanmar’s rulers.
Source: BBC
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