Myanmar junta must stop targeting women and children

On a quiet morning on February 5, children in Deemaw Soe Township, Karenni state, attended school as usual. Despite fierce fighting throughout the state, no recent conflict in the area suggested an attack was looming.

Then, beginning at 10:15am, the Myanmar military deployed a series of air and ground attacks that directly targeted children at two schools. The bombardment went on for at least an hour.

According to a statement released by the Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG), a community organization dedicated to reporting on the current situation on the ground in eastern Myanmar’s Karenni state, the junta fired at the two schools deliberately.

Daw Si Ei school was hit by a series of bombs, including one weighing 225 kilograms. Four young boys between the ages of 12 and 14 were killed. The second attack on Loi Nan Pa claimed the life of one man. Between the two air strikes, up to 32 people were injured, including those under the age of three. At this writing, two remain in hospital in critical condition.

In photos that surfaced in the aftermath of the attack, the backpacks of children were seencovered in blood and debris. The air strikes and artillery shells fired at the schools were unquestionably intentional.

In response to the increasing loss of bases and territory throughout the country, the military has targeted those with the least protection and with no ability to retaliate with weapons.

On the same day as the air strikes, seven internally displaced persons (IDPs) were killed by the junta in Shadaw Township, Karenni state, after being forced to be human shields. Among the victims were two women with disabilities, a pregnant woman, three children, and a man.

The ongoing terrors have led to widespread