Shelling during a clash in northern Myanmar killed seven civilians on Wednesday, including three children, residents told Radio Free Asia, as fighting between junta troops and ethnic minority insurgents escalated following the breakdown of a ceasefire.
Fighters from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and their junta army rivals blamed each other for the death of the civilians when shells hit their homes in the town of Lashio in northern Shan state.
Fighting between the junta soldiers from the Northeast Command and the autonomy-seeking rebels resumed on June 25 after the collapse of a ceasefire brokered by Chinese officials in a series of meetings that began in January.
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army announced the capture of 26 junta camps in the days following the end of the ceasefire.
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The fighting in Lashio escalated on Wednesday with one shell killing a family of six in their house, said a resident, who declined to be identified in fear of reprisals.
“It happened while they were eating in the kitchen. The dead bodies have been sent to the morgue,” he said. “We’ve heard the sound of heavy guns firing all morning but I’m not sure if the junta army or the revolutionary group was responsible.”
Those killed were Zel Zaung, 14, Dwel Aung and Zel Nwel, both 15, Sai Khon and May Yi, both 30, and Mar Gyi, 70.
A shell hit another Lashio house early in the day, killing a woman and wounding two men, residents said. RFA could not confirm their identities.
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army and civilians blamed the junta for the deaths but the junta blamed the rebels in posts on its Telegram channels.
RFA called Shan state’s junta spokesperson Khun Thein Maung for more information on the attacks but calls went unanswered.
Fighting between the two groups has also affected Namhu and Nampawng villages near Lashio town.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
