Myanmar junta bombs five monasteries on Buddhist new year, killing monks

Junta airstrikes during Myanmar’s New Year celebrations have killed five civilians and injured 26 others, including several monks, according to residents who spoke with Radio Free Asia.

The attacks, which took place on Sunday and Monday, targeted monasteries at the start of Thingyan – Myanmar’s traditional New Year festival, a time of deep cultural, spiritual, and social importance for the Burmese people.

Despite ceasefire announcements by both the junta and various resistance groups – some aligned with the exiled National Unity Government – fighting has continued. Rebel forces have claimed gains in new territories, prompting retaliatory airstrikes from the military, often resulting in heavy civilian casualties.