The National Unity Government’s (NUG) Ministry of Human Rights has called for international action following military council airstrikes in Naung Cho and Sintguu that killed 37 civilians, including 11 minors. The statement emphasized that the terrorist military council is deliberately targeting civilian areas through airstrikes, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians. The ministry urged countries working on human rights and children’s rights to take immediate and effective action against the military group in Myanmar through international human rights mechanisms and international judicial mechanisms.
On March 16 evening, military council forces conducted an airstrike on Sein Yadana Pariyatti Monastery in Naung Cho city, northern Shan State, killing 10 people including two monks, five novices under 18 years of age, and three civilians, with many others injured. Similarly, on March 14 evening, an airstrike on a market in Letpanhla village, Sintguu township, Mandalay Region, resulted in the deaths of 21 civilians, including six children, one of whom was just four months old. The military council has been systematically targeting public spaces as a strategy, leading to numerous civilian casualties including children.
According to NUG’s Human Rights Ministry records, from 2023 to March 16, 2025, the military council has conducted 2,190 airstrikes on civilian areas, resulting in the deaths of 372 children. These attacks constitute clear violations of International Humanitarian Law, particularly regarding the protection of children in armed conflict. The actions specifically violate provisions against harming and killing children, which is one of the six grave violations against children in conflict situations. Furthermore, these attacks violate the Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically children’s rights to survival, development, participation, and protection. The military council’s deliberate targeting of public spaces and religious buildings represents a systematic pattern of attacks that has resulted in significant civilian casualties, particularly affecting vulnerable populations including children.
