Five civilians killed by airstrikes in Mandalay Region; Crisis Group reports on Myanmar’s ‘new administration’

Five civilians killed by airstrikes in Mandalay Region

At least five civilians were killed and 15 others were injured in four airstrikes carried out on Mandalay Region’s Thayetkaung Pin village by the Burma Air Force on Saturday, Mahlaing Township residents told DVB. They added that two Air Force fighter jets were spotted in the sky before the strikes occurred. Mahlaing is located 75 miles (120 km) south of the region’s capital Mandalay.

The People’s Defence Force (PDF) in Mahlaing told DVB that three of the civilians killed in the airstrikes were teenagers. He added that they were students returning home from a weekend class at the time of the attack. Students in Mahlaing attend schools operated by the regime in Naypyidaw. The PDF stated that it was not present in the village during the airstrikes.

Four Mahlaing residents were reportedly killed during motorized paraglider attacks on March 26. At least 149 people have been killed and 277 others have been injured by regime aerial attacks, including airstrikes, paramotors, gyrocopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or drone strikes, since Min Aung Hlaing announced a “100-day plan” for peace on April 20, according to DVB data.

Crisis Group reports on Myanmar’s ‘new administration’

A new report called “Myanmar’s New Administration: Military Consolidation, Not Transition” outlines how the elections, which ended on Jan. 25, provided a procedural mechanism to perpetuate military dominance under the 2008 constitution. It warns that the installation of regime leader Min Aung Hlaing as president represents a consolidation of abusive military power rather than a genuine transition.

“The uniforms may have changed to civilian clothes, but this is not a political transition. The elections have consolidated military rule behind a constitutional façade, while leaving the drivers of armed conflict and economic decline largely unchanged,” said Richard Horsey, the senior Burma advisor at the International Crisis Group (ICG)—a global non-profit think tank specializing in conflict that published the report.

The ICG urged the international community to make Burma a higher priority among global conflicts. Its report recommends that any engagement with Naypyidaw must avoid conferring unwarranted legitimacy on Min Aung Hlaing, and must maintain existing targeted sanctions, and must significantly expand humanitarian and livelihood assistance through non-state channels.