Recent fierce fighting between Myanmar's army and local militant groups has killed at least 26 civilians, including six children, in area east of the capital, according to reports Wednesday by a resident, a rights group and a medical assistance group.
The fighting took place in Shan State's Pekon township, a hotly contested area in the armed struggle that arose after February 2021 when the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover prompted widespread public protests, whose violent suppression by the security forces triggered an armed resistance that now spans much of the country.
Newly formed militia units opposed to military rule are part of a loosely organized People's Defense Force, or PDF, which has allied with well-established armed ethnic minority groups such as the Karenni, the Karen and the Kachin. The ethnic groups have been fighting the central government for more than half a century, seeking greater autonomy in border regions.
A Mobye resident told The Associated Press on Wednesday that some villagers had hidden in their homes to avoid arrest, and were among at least 26 people killed, either shot dead in their homes or when they went out onto the street, or killed by artillery strikes. Six of the dead were children, he said.
Banyar Khun Aung, executive director of the Karenni Human Rights Group, estimated Wednesday that more than 30 people had been killed in Mobye, almost all of them by the army, some after being arrested and some by shelling.
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