The human rights organization Amnesty International accused the Burmese army on Friday (October 13) of using a large unguided aerial bomb to attack and destroy a camp for displaced people in northern Burma, on the border with China. The attack, which targeted the camp near the town of Laiza on Monday evening, left 29 dead and 59 injured, according to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
An expert from the NGO analyzed photos and videos following the attack in Kachin State, which “show evidence of a single, massive explosion that blew out dozens of nearby buildings – including a church, a nursery school and several houses – and started fires”. In a statement, Amnesty further affirmed that “the size of the crater and the damage observed are consistent with the use of a large unguided aerial bomb present in the inventory of the Burmese army”, adding that “the blast caused catastrophic injuries (…) to the victims, including fatal head injuries, lacerations that exposed organs, and the removal and pulverization of limbs.”
The Kachin Independence Army, which defends the interests of the predominantly Christian Kachin ethnic group, has been in conflict with the Burmese army for decades. The military junta also said that bombs belonging to rebels in the region caused the explosion, without providing evidence.
Amnesty International denies the allegations and says they are “contradictory to the accounts of corroborating witnesses, who indicated that the explosion served as the starting point for a coordinated attack.” The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, said he was “alarmed” by the attack and declared that those responsible should be “held to account”.
