Myanmar junta troops committed the mass killing of civilians following a military raid in Nyaunglebin District, Bago Region on 5 March.
According to separate reports from the Karen National Union (KNU) and the National Unity Government (NUG) released on 9 March, four military columns, each 100-strong, entered the villages of Yaydwin Kone, Khayukone, and Kyaung Kone in Kyauk Kyi Township at approximately 5:00 am on 5 March.
The KNU statement reports 30 civilians killed, while the NUG reported 40 civilians killed in the raid.
According to the KNU and NUG, the combined columns of junta troops were from Light Infantry Battalions 20, 264, and 439 under Light Infantry Division 77.
After entering Yay Twin Kone village tract on 5 March, the troops detained approximately 160 local residents, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 3 headquarters said.
The situation escalated significantly on 7 March, when the military launched coordinated drone and jet fighter airstrikes on the same village tract where the civilians were being held.
The KNU reports that 25 civilians were killed in the bombardment, while another five were summarily executed by ground troops. Data provided by the Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) indicates that the victims include 17 women, eight men, and five children under the age of 10.
On the same day, the same military column reportedly entered nearby Htee Pu Luu village, where an additional five civilians were killed.
In total, the NUG claims junta troops arrested some 300 civilians as hostages, reportedly torturing and killing more than 40 people, including three children, a pregnant woman, and several elderly individuals.
The KNU statement was accompanied by harrowing photographic evidence showing civilians forced to lie in rows on the ground and others being coerced into digging pits, presumed to be mass graves.
The KNU described the incident as part of a systematic pattern of human rights violations used by the junta as it attempts to maintain control amid its “political exit strategy” of holding sham elections.
The organization is still working to verify the full list of names of the deceased and has called on the international community to take immediate action against the escalating atrocities in Bago Region.
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