In Man Cho village of Chaung-U Township, Sagaing Region, indiscriminate artillery fire by the military council forces resulted in the death of a 6-year-old child and injured two other civilians. The incident occurred on July 21 at approximately 9:27 AM when the military forces launched an unprovoked artillery attack on Man Cho village, located three miles and three furlongs south of Chaung-U town. The attack claimed the life of 6-year-old Ma May Shin Than, who died instantly, while 14-year-old Ma Hnin Pwint Phyu and Ma Thae Ei Phyu sustained shrapnel wounds.
According to local residents, military council troops stationed in Chaung-U town fired four artillery shells at the village. Two shells landed and exploded on the eastern side of the village near the Chaung-U-Pakokku road, while the other two detonated on the western side. Ma May Shin Than was struck by shrapnel from one of the shells that exploded on the eastern side of the village. The projectile entered through her back and exited through her chest, causing immediate death. Local sources confirmed that the child’s body was buried after 11 AM on the same day.
Man Cho village, home to over 1,000 households, has previously been subjected to attacks by the military forces. On May 12 of this year, the village was targeted in an air strike by the military council, which resulted in the deaths of three villagers – one man and two women – and caused significant damage to residential buildings. These deliberate attacks on civilian populations by the military council continue to devastate the safety and daily lives of local residents, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity in the community.
