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Heavy artillery in Myanmar’s west killed seven folks over the weekend, locals instructed Radio Free Asia.
After the ethnic insurgent military captured a metropolis solely 24 kilometers (15 miles) from Rakhine state’s capital of Sittwe on Mar. 4, most residents fled as junta troopers ready for battle.
Whereas the Arakan Military has not entered Sittwe, a shell explosion on Saturday evening is accountable for the deaths and 5 extra accidents. All victims have been Rohingya residing between Sittwe’s Kathe and Aung Min Ga Lar neighborhoods.
A resident who wished to stay nameless for safety causes instructed RFA on Sunday that 5 folks have been killed immediately, whereas two extra died at Sittwe Hospital.
“5 died on the spot firstly, and two died on Sunday morning,” he stated. “The primary 5 lifeless have been a complete household.”
The lifeless have been despatched to Sittwe Hospital’s mortuary, locals stated, including that many of the injured have been hit by shrapnel within the head and decrease physique.
The names and ages of victims couldn’t be confirmed as telecommunication stays tough to entry within the space, however youngsters and aged girls are among the many casualties, residents stated.
RFA contacted Rakhine state’s junta spokesperson Hla Thein for extra details about the explosion, however he stated that he didn’t know something in regards to the assault.
Navy-controlled newspapers claimed on Monday that the Arakan Military fired into Sittwe’s Kathe neighborhood, killing the seven civilians. RFA contacted Arakan Military officers for touch upon this accusation, however didn’t obtain a reply by the point of publication.
A person who recognized himself as a part of Sittwe’s Rohingya neighborhood instructed RFA on Sunday that the restrictions and journey ban imposed by the junta have been notably harsh for these within the ethnic group, traditionally focused by the Myanmar navy.
“Everyone seems to be anxious,” he stated, asking to not be named for worry of persecution. “Individuals don’t know when and at what time a heavy weapon will fall, so folks reside with worry and anxiousness.”
Junta troops arrived in Sittwe’s Kathe neighborhood a number of hours after the explosion, he stated, including that safety has been tightened and virtually nobody dares to stroll freely across the space.
Regardless of permitting civilians to journey inside Sittwe, these remaining within the capital have been instructed they aren’t allowed to go away, residents stated.
One other Sittwe resident who additionally requested for anonymity instructed RFA he suspects the navy junta’s repeated assaults on civilians are intentional.
“Heavy weapons haven’t simply fallen a few times,” he stated. “I doubt that the heavy weapon firing had any objective as a result of they dropped shells in civilian neighborhoods, not a navy goal.”
Locals claimed ammunition was fired from Sittwe-based Police Battalion No. 12, however RFA has not been capable of independently confirm this assertion.
On Feb. 29, troopers firing explosives right into a crowded market in Sittwe killed 12 civilians and injured 18 extra in what gave the impression to be one other spherical of indiscriminate civilian assaults.
As of Feb. 18, renewed combating in Rakhine between the navy junta and Arakan Military has killed 111 civilians and injured 357 because it started on Nov. 13, 2023, in line with a press release by the Arakan Military.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
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