An airstrike by Myanmar’s military struck a school in the central Sagaing region on Monday, May 12, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 students and two teachers, according to information from resistance fighters and aid workers present at the location. The attack occurred in the morning at Ohe Htein Twin village in Tabayin township, also known as Depayin, injuring between 30 and 50 students.
A representative of the White Depeyin People’s Defence Force resistance group, who responded to assist victims, indicated that a fighter jet dropped two cluster bombs directly onto the school while students from primary to high school levels were attending classes after 9 a.m. The school, managed by the nation’s pro-democracy movement, is located about 70 miles northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city.
The resistance fighter, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to concerns about military arrest, reported that three nearby houses sustained damage in the attack. He noted that there had been no recent conflict in the area, even though Sagaing is a stronghold of resistance forces.
Nay Phone Latt, spokesperson for the opposition’s National Unity Government (NUG), confirmed similar casualty numbers and cautioned that the death toll might increase. The NUG spokesperson stated that some students could be unaccounted for due to the bombing. He accused the military of intentionally targeting civilians in monasteries, refugee camps, schools, and hospitals, under the false pretense that resistance fighters are hiding in these locations.
The Myanmar military has refuted these reports. State-run MRTV television broadcast on Monday evening claimed that subversive media outlets were deliberately disseminating false news. The military’s statement included a quote from an unnamed local official saying that security forces were only working to maintain peace in the area and were not targeting non-military locations. They instead accused “terrorists” of shelling and launching drone attacks on townships and villages that did not support them.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern about the reported airstrike. His spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, “Even in times of armed conflict, schools must be protected.”
The reported attack occurred despite the Myanmar military announcing an extension of its ceasefire until May 31 to facilitate relief efforts following the devastating March 28 earthquake. The military had initially declared the ceasefire in early April, days after the earthquake, with anti-junta armed groups making similar moves to support humanitarian activities.
“Reports of attacks, including in Sagaing and other areas impacted by the March 28 earthquakes, add further to the already immense suffering of people in Myanmar, where over one-third of the country requires humanitarian aid,” Dujarric added.
The Sagaing region, bordering India, has been a center of armed resistance against military rule. The junta has increasingly used airstrikes to counter widespread opposition to its rule since seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The resistance forces have no effective defense against aerial attacks.
More than 6,600 civilians have been killed by security forces since the military takeover, according to figures compiled by non-governmental organizations.
This attack follows similar incidents in the region. In September 2022, aerial attacks by military helicopters against a school and village in Let Yet Kone in the same township killed at least 13 people, including seven children. In April 2023, airstrikes killed as many as 160 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony held by opponents of army rule outside Pazigyi village in Sagaing region’s Kanbalu township.
Myanmar has been in conflict since the military used lethal force to suppress protests against its return to power in a 2021 coup. The military has struggled to govern effectively and has lost ground in battles against ethnic minority armies and resistance movements affiliated with the NUG.
Recent reports deemed credible by the United Nations and human rights groups have indicated that airstrikes have continued despite ceasefires declared to facilitate relief efforts following the March earthquake, which left tens of thousands of people displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance.
The NUG includes former elected officials deposed by the military coup and other anti-junta groups coordinating resistance to military rule throughout the country.