UNICEF says children are being killed in schools and clinics as airstrikes hit Karenni and Rakhine states

Mizzima

Three children were killed and five others injured when an airstrike hit a school for displaced children and families in Loikaw Township, Karenni (Kayah) State, on 31 October, as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on 3 November that Myanmar’s children are being killed in the places meant to protect them.

According to UNICEF, further airstrikes struck Rakhine State over the weekend, including one on a temporary health clinic that reportedly killed a newborn baby and several health workers. The agency did not give the number of health workers killed or the clinic’s location, and it did not name who carried out the strikes.

In its statement, UNICEF said children are “bearing the brunt” of Myanmar’s conflict, and that schools and health facilities, where they should be safe, are now among the places where they are being killed and injured.

Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup in February 2021, and fighting between the regime and resistance forces has since spread across much of the country, with displaced families often sheltering and studying in areas outside military control.

Beyond the latest attacks, UNICEF has raised similar alarms throughout the year. In a statement on 25 February, the agency said at least five children were killed and three injured in airstrikes in Ponnagyun Township, Rakhine State, and Myinmu Township, Sagaing Region. By September 2024, UNICEF said, at least 600 children had been killed or injured in Myanmar that year alone.

UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to protect children, adding that schools, health facilities and other civilian infrastructure must be spared. The agency said it is working with partners to assess needs and support affected children and families.