The National Unity Government (NUG) has recounted the final phase of their crackdown in Sagaing’s Pale Township on the Burma National Revolutionary Army (BNRA) as news has come in that its leader Bo Nagar and his family have reportedly sought refuge with the Myanmar military junta.
The NUG recounts that heavy clashes erupted on the morning of 17 February in Pale Township between forces under the NUG and the BNRA.
Commenting on the incident, Kyaw Ni, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration under the NUG, told Mizzima that the operation should not be viewed as a conflict between organizations. Instead, he described it as the “final phase of action” aimed at apprehending individuals accused of committing crimes.
Kyaw Ni mentioned that some members of the BNRA have been committing offenses against civilians since 2022.
By 2023, complaints had also surfaced alleging crimes against individuals within the NUG administrative mechanism.
“As the Ministry of Home Affairs, we had to request assistance from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) because this matter involves an armed group. We asked the MOD to apprehend those responsible quite some time ago. It has now escalated to the point where we must proceed with the final stage of action,” the Deputy Minister said.
Kyaw Ni said that the alleged offences committed by BNRA members include the killing of ordinary civilians and public servants, disposal of bodies, arbitrary detention and torture, as well as rape. He added that numerous case files have been opened in connection with these accusations.
Meanwhile, Bo Nagar, leader of the BNRA, wrote on social media – prior to reportedly taking refuge with the junta military that MOD battalions under the NUG launched attacks on BNRA outposts in Pale Township at around 7:30 am on 17 February, deploying heavy weapons and drones. The clashes are occurring near Chin Pyit and Poppa villages, areas where the BNRA is active.
In a statement, BNRA said that an earlier clash had taken place on 12 February during talks over the surrender of weapons in Pale Township. The incident reportedly resulted in the death of one NUG member.
As a result of the clashes between revolutionary forces, residents of Chin Pyit, Kyar Si, Poppa, and Maung Tone villages in Pale Township have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety.
Comments
Post a Comment