Mizzima
On 26 March, the Blood Money Campaign called for international action to stop aviation fuel supplies to Myanmar’s military junta, warning that this access fuels escalating airstrikes on civilians and contributes to war crimes.
The statement said that the military junta has carried out 6,986 airstrikes over more than five years since the coup, resulting in the deaths of 4,299 civilians, including infants.
The text of the statement is as follows.
On February 28, 2026, following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East (Gulf region) initiated by the United States and fascist Israeli forces, Iran’s retaliatory blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused disruptions to crude oil supplies, leading to shortages in countries around the world. As a result, nations facing fuel crises, including aviation fuel, are striving to secure energy supplies. Meanwhile, the illegitimate Myanmar military junta has been forcibly seizing civilian aviation fuel and continues carrying out airstrikes against civilians across the country.
On March 5, 2026, in Kayin State’s Nyaunglebin District, residents from the villages of Yaetwinkone, Khrukone, and Kyaungkone were forcibly detained and treated as human shields. Subsequently, airstrikes carried out using jet fighters and drones resulted in the deaths of at least 25 civilians, including five children under the age of 10. On March 8, in Rakhine State’s An Township, an airstrike targeted a prison holding Prisoners of War (POWs). The attack, carried out using four combat aircraft and four Y-12 transport planes, killed 116 Prisoners of War (POWs) and injured 32 others, including many civilians among the casualties.
On March 10, in Kachin State, near Hsinhkan village to the west of Bhamo, a jet fighter and a Y-12 aircraft hovered and carried out airstrikes on a gold mining site for a period of time. As a result, the attack killed at least 30 people and injured no fewer than 20. On March 20, in Upper Sagaing Region, a jet fighter bombed a monastery sheltering internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ward (3) of Katha Township at around 11 a.m. while monks were having their meal. The bombing killed at least 50 displaced civilians, including monks and children.
The criminal military junta carried out more than 6,900 (6,986) aerial bombing attacks over the five-year period from February 2021 to 19 March 2026, killing over 4,200 (4,299) civilians, including infants. In March 2026 alone, at least four airstrikes that killed no fewer than 20 civilians in mass-casualty incidents resulted in the deaths of over 200 people, including children, women, and monks, and caused injuries to many more.
The illegitimate (illegal) Myanmar military junta has bypassed sanctions imposed by international governments and continues its bombing attacks by using aviation fuel it has procured internationally and by forcibly confiscating fuel from civilian airlines. These airstrikes highlight the lack of effective action by the international community and expose the gaps in coordinated sanctions among countries. At the same time, the criminal junta is attempting to regain international legitimacy on the international stage by convening a sham parliament after merely removing military uniforms, while continuing to operate its authoritarian governing apparatus.
ASEAN, the EU, the UK, and other international governments must not recognize the criminal military junta as the legitimate government of Myanmar under any circumstances. They must act in a unified and coordinated manner to hold the junta accountable and bring an end to its aerial bombings and ongoing war crimes against civilians. We further call for urgent, coordinated sanctions across countries to cut off the junta’s access to aviation fuel and maritime insurance services provided by international companies.
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