Myanmar Military Attack Kills At Least 24 During Holiday Protest

At least 24 people were killed and 47 wounded yesterday when the Myanmar military attacked a protest gathering with bombs dropped from motorised paragliders, marking a significant escalation in violence against civilians.

The attack occurred Monday evening in Chaung U township, in the Sagaing region of central Myanmar, as approximately 100 people had assembled for the Thadingyut festival – a full moon celebration – to peacefully protest against the military junta’s conscription policies, upcoming elections, and to demand the release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. The Sagaing region has been a key battleground since the 2021 coup, largely controlled by local volunteer militias known as the People’s Defence Force (PDF). A local PDF official stated they had received intelligence of a potential airborne attack and attempted to disperse the crowd, but the paramotors arrived sooner than anticipated. “It all happened in seven minutes,” he said, adding that the explosion injured his leg and killed those nearby.

Witnesses described a horrific scene, with reports of bodies torn apart. “Children were completely torn apart,” one woman who helped organize the event told AFP, describing the difficulty of identifying remains and collecting body parts following the attack. This incident is part of a disturbing trend, according to Amnesty International, with the junta increasingly utilizing these types of attacks due to limited access to conventional aircraft and jet fuel, a situation exacerbated by international sanctions. The military has recently bolstered its air force with drones acquired from China and technical assistance from Russia, shifting the balance of power in the ongoing civil war.

The planned December elections, the first since the 2021 coup, are widely viewed as a means to legitimize military rule, with many opposition parties banned and voting restricted to areas under military control. Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher, Joe Freeman, stated the attack “should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection” and called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to increase pressure on the junta. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned the violence in Myanmar and called for a return to democratic rule.

Officials have stated they are continuing to monitor the situation and assess the full extent of the casualties.