The military bombing in Myanmar resulted in an increasing number of deaths of innocent civilians. Recently, several members of the Bible Missionary Church were also killed in the bombing. The church is one of the members of the Mennonite World Conference. This organization issued a prayer call to all its member churches worldwide after the attack.
Aerial Bombardment
A report from the Anabaptist World stated that on Thursday, Mar. 30, an aerial bombardment on a village in Chin State led to the fatalities of a dozen locals, including numerous members of the congregation and the daughters of the local pastor. As mentioned, many villagers, including the pastor, sustained severe injuries.
Last summer, Canadian Mennonites claimed that around half of the families belonging to Bible Missionary Church had to relocate. Once the military took, control of the government and civil unrest increased, some 2,000 people sought refuge in the jungles and mountains of the area. President Henk Stenvers of the Mennonite World Conference said, "Please pray for solace for all those affected. Pray for an end to violence."
Moreover, as per the UCA News, on Thursday, Jan. 12, an airstrike carried out by Myanmar's military junta in the southeastern part of Karen state was responsible for the destruction of two churches as well as the deaths of five persons, including a Catholic catechist and a Baptist pastor.
When fighter jets opened fire on the village of Lay Wah, located in the Hpapun township of Karen state, the village's residents, including a mother and her daughter who was two years old, were among those who lost their lives.
According to a Church official who did not wish to be identified, Saw Re Di, a 45-year-old catechist, was killed, and his wife was wounded. In contrast, a Baptist pastor, later identified as Saw Cha Aye, also died when their respective churches were struck and destroyed.
The house of the catechist was reportedly close to the church, devastated by the bombing. Also, at least 40 residences in Lay Wah village are co-inhabited by members of several faiths, including Catholics, Baptists, and Buddhists.
Also Read: Church Leaders in Myanmar Voice Concerns Over Unregulated Mining for Rare Earth Elements
Military Bombing in Myanmar
According to The Diplomat, the attack on Camp Victoria, which is situated in Chin State, was the most recent in a string of catastrophic air strikes nationwide. In September of last year, children in a school compound in the central region of Myanmar were killed by bullets fired from military helicopters. A performance in Kachin State was targeted by airstrikes a month later, resulting in the deaths of eighty persons. It is claimed by Myanmar's government in exile, known as the National Unity Government, that more than 70 percent of the 268 airstrikes that happened between October 2021 and September 2022 targeted civilians. According to the observations of an Indian defense analyst, "there are not many countries that opt to employ their air power against their own citizens."
Moreover, the military's "four cuts" counterinsurgency approach tries to disrupt relationships between ethnic armed groups and the communities that support them with food, finances, and recruitment. Reports say that guerilla tactics used by Chin fighters and other armed organizations have inflicted severe fatalities on infantry troops, causing Myanmar's generals to change their focus to air strikes.
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