At least 50 people were killed in a bombing carried out by Burma’s military forces, a strike that targeted the Sagaing region in the northwest and was described as a milestone in the ongoing conflict following Burma’s 2021 coup. The Government of National Unity (NUG) has declared itself the legitimate authority in the area, a claim confirmed to EFE by an NUG spokesperson. [Citation: EFE]
The spokesperson, who asked to remain unnamed, said the attack struck Pazigyi in Sagaing, where an administrative office aligned with the NUG was hosting an opening ceremony. The blast came as people gathered for the ceremony amid the country’s fractured political landscape. [Citation: EFE]
Our current estimates place the death toll at no fewer than 50, according to the spokesperson, who spoke directly with EFE.
Independent local media, including The Irrawaddy, have corroborated the figure. Military aircraft dropped two bombs during the event as about a hundred attendees gathered for the opening of what was described as the Office of the People’s Authority in Pazigyi. [Citation: The Irrawaddy]
This incident ranks among the bloodiest assaults since the army seized power on February 1, 2021, ending a fragile decade of democratic transition and pushing the nation deeper into violence and governance by force. The military reportedly maintains control over only a portion of the country, with many areas under rebel influence or contested authority. [Citation: Various sources]
A spokesperson for the NUG compared the scale of the Pazigyi bombing to earlier strikes, including a deadly October attack at a northern music festival that marked the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the Kachin Independence Organization. He estimated that around 80 people from the Kachin community and their allies were killed in that prior incident. [Citation: NUG statements]
On March 27, the head of Burma’s military leadership, Min Aung Hlaing, warned that resistance would be met firmly. He explicitly referenced actions against the NUG and its armed wing, the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), during a military parade held on Armed Forces Day. [Citation: Military statements]
The NUG has operated largely in semi-secret mode, emerging from a coalition that included former government lawmakers who stood in opposition to the coup. The PDF quickly grew, drawing support especially from younger people who had received training from ethnic minority guerrilla groups that have long operated in the country. [Citation: NGO and press reports]
The conflict has seen a renewed surge in violence in recent weeks. A bombardment in Chin province at the end of March killed at least eight people, two of them children, and another attack near the capital resulted in a large number of fatalities a couple of weeks earlier. [Citation: Local reports]
UN Burma rapporteur Thomas Andrews has highlighted the civilian toll, noting that more than 3,000 civilians were killed in March, about 1.3 million people have been displaced, and roughly 16,000 individuals have been detained for political reasons since the coup, including Aung San Suu Kyi. [Citation: UN statements]