The junta launched airstrikes in Sagaing and Mandalay despite the ongoing post-earthquake recovery efforts in these towns. Photo from the Facebook page of the National Unity Government, Myanmar. Fair use
Human rights and media groups and the United Nations accused the Myanmar junta of violating its own ceasefire declaration on April 2, 2025 when it continued conducting airstrikes in areas controlled by pro-democracy forces.
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar on March 28 which severely affected the areas of Mandalay, Sagaing Magway, Shan State, Naypyidaw, and Bago. As of April 3, the death toll has risen to 3,085, with 4,715 people injured and 341 still missing. Meanwhile, independent media group DVB reported that its own monitoring placed the death toll at 3,866. The casualties could be higher since the information restrictions imposed by the junta have prevented even authorities from assessing the full impact of the earthquake in remote regions.
The military grabbed power in February 2021 and its rule has been challenged by pro-democracy forces represented by the National Unity Government (NUG).
Despite the massive devastation caused by the earthquake, the junta only declared a humanitarian ceasefire on April 2. The NUG’s National Unity Consultative Council reported that during the five days after the earthquake, the military regime launched 32 airstrikes on 11 locations, killing at least 50 civilians and injuring 49 others.
The ceasefire declaration didn’t stop junta forces from attacking villages identified as strongholds of the NUG. The NUG has condemned the attacks against communities reeling from the earthquake disaster.
The violent military junta is committing systematic and widespread grave human rights violations across Myanmar, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the junta continues to carry out indiscriminate airstrikes against civilians.
After the earthquake on March 28, Myanmar's military junta conducted 63 air and artillery strikes within a week, resulting in the deaths of 68 civilians, among them a child and 15 women. The regions that suffered the most were Sagaing (13 attacks) and Mandalay (8 attacks). pic.twitter.com/5l1CpjVGa0
— National Unity Government Myanmar (@NUGMyanmar) April 5, 2025
The media reported that after April 2, the junta launched 11 airstrikes in Sagaing, ground offensives targeted several villages in Mandalay, drone and artillery attacks battered ethnic communities in Kachin, and some houses near the World Heritage Site of Bagan were burned down. The UN Human Rights Office said it received reports that junta forces were responsible for 14 attacks after the temporary ceasefire took effect.
Myanmar's military has conducted dozens of attacks since the devastating earthquake hit the country last week, and at least 14 since a temporary truce was announced this week, the UN said Friday. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/1Hyg8q5uJ3
— The Irrawaddy (Eng) (@IrrawaddyNews) April 4, 2025
In another report, the junta is also accused of withholding aid and other life-saving assistance to ethnic minority communities and areas controlled by resistance forces.
Human rights and media groups pointed out that military activities focused on airstrikes instead of being diverted to search and rescue operations. This was mentioned by The Irrawaddy, an exiled Myanmar news group, in an editorial:
Where are the Myanmar military’s helicopters? They are all missing in action from search-and-rescue operations. It appears they are busy bombing suspected resistance targets and civilians.
The junta must end its nationwide airstrikes. The State Administration Council (SAC) generals are the aggressors and they must end their violence and atrocities.
Kyaw Zwa Moe, executive editor of the Irrawaddy, blamed the rising death toll on the junta's slow and inefficient response.
The majority of the fatalities were not killed immediately in the earthquake; most of them died because they were not rescued within hours or even a few days. The generals don’t even have enough common sense or rational thinking — let alone the proper mechanisms in place — to save lives first, rather than clear away debris.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterated the appeal to the junta to allow the unhindered entry of international aid groups and rescue teams.
Sources from the ground describe a catastrophic humanitarian situation in earthquake-hit areas, especially those outside the military’s control, an absence of relief efforts, and a lack of clean water, food, and medicines. Fear and shock have augmented the suffering of a civilian population already subjected to four years of military violence since the coup.
Around 120 groups have also signed a statement denouncing the junta’s inaction over the appeal to lift internet and news restrictions.
The military council must take full accountability for imposing internet shutdowns and restricting public access to information during the earthquake. These actions not only disrupted the flow of critical information but also led to preventable deaths by hindering timely rescue efforts. The loss of lives and widespread suffering caused by these deliberate restrictions are solely the responsibility of the military council.
