Myanmar Airstrike Hits School, Kills 5 Amid UN 'New Low' Human Rights Warning

A recent airstrike by Myanmar's military has tragically claimed the lives of five individuals, including two children attending a monastic school, in a village located in western Chin state. The devastating attack, which occurred at Sein Nyin Wa village in Paletwa township on Monday, also left at least 17 people injured, nine of whom were children.

Seven of the injured are reportedly in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll could tragically increase.

Images circulating from the aftermath depict a harrowing scene: books and notebooks still open on desks, alongside scattered pencils and children's belongings amidst the rubble of the collapsed school building.

This incident unfolds as a new UN Human Rights Office report warns that Myanmar's human rights situation has "plummeted to a new low," attributing this decline to the military's "persistent quest for control and legitimacy" which has intensified civilian suffering. The Paletwa township, situated near the Indian border, had been seized by the Arakan Army, an ethnic rebel group actively fighting military rule, in January 2024.

While the Myanmar military has not yet commented on this specific strike, they have previously asserted that their airstrikes are limited to military targets and are a response to what they describe as terrorist groups and insurgent seizures of towns and villages. This ongoing conflict stems from the 2021 military coup that overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, plunging the nation into a brutal civil war.

The UN reports a grim toll of 8,075 civilian deaths since the coup, with 1,074 children among the victims. A staggering 1,241 civilians have been killed in the past year alone, and it's feared the true number is considerably higher.

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