Myanmar Civilians Flee Air Strikes Ahead of Vote
Civilians in Myanmar’s rebel-controlled regions are enduring an escalating wave of air strikes and military assaults as the ruling junta presses ahead with elections that critics describe as deeply illegitimate. Late one night in November, Iang Za Kim was jolted awake by explosions in a nearby village. Moments later, fighter jets roared overhead. Fearing her own village would be next, she fled with her family, carrying only food and a few clothes, and hid in the surrounding jungle. Recalling the events of 26 November in K-Haimual village in western Chin State, Iang struggles to hold back tears. She is one of thousands of civilians displaced in recent weeks after Myanmar’s military launched an intense air and ground campaign to regain territory ahead of elections scheduled to begin on 28 December. Others sheltering with her, sitting on straw mats, are also […]
