Myanmar Army continues to bombard villages in the midst of crisis by devastating earthquake

An armed resistance movement against Myanmar’s military government criticized the Board on Sunday for conducting air attacks against villages while the country suffers from an earthquake that left about 1,700 dead.

The Karen National Union (KNU), one of Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armies, said in a statement that the Board «continues to carry out air attacks against civil areas, even while the population suffers tremendously by the earthquake.»

The group said that, in normal circumstances, the military would prioritize relief efforts, but instead focus on «deploying strength to attack their people.»

A Board spokesman did not answer Reuters’ questions about criticism.

Myanmar is plunged into a civil war with multiple armed opposition groups from the 2021 coup d’etat, in which the military overthrew the elected government of the Nobel Peace Prize Aung San Suu Kyi.

Shortly after the devastating earthquake on Friday, military airplanes launched air attacks and drones in the state of Karen, near the KNU headquarters, according to Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian organization.

The epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake was in an area controlled by the Board forces, but the devastation is generalized and also affected part of the territory controlled by armed resistance movements.

On Sunday, the National Unity Government, which includes remains of the overthrown government in 2021, said that militias under their command will stop all offensive military action for two weeks.