Suspected Use of Chemical Weapons in Karenni State and Throughout Burma Raise Alarm
Across the second quarter of the year, the Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG) continued to document ongoing human rights violations against innocent civilians. Several alarming observations are being closely monitored, including the suspected use of chemical weapons.
During clashes in Hpasawng township, Karenni State, the Karenni Army stated their soldiers had experienced symptoms, including shortness of breath, dizziness, and vomiting from inhaling gunpowder fumes, leading to deliberation over whether or not the junta used chemical weapons.
Al Jazeera also found evidence of similar accounts reported by Karenni soldiers and medical doctors who stated that the combat wounds they treat are ‘different.’ The use of chemical weapons in all forms is prohibited under international law.
Drones by the military junta are also of growing concern. They are a compromising tool of surveillance against the opposition and civilians and are the latest weaponization of technology threatening local livelihoods. During the reporting period, a drone attack by the Burma Army killed one monk in Pin Long, Lwe Kain village monastery while it was under fire by joint armed forces.
Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that consumer technologies, such as drones, are changing how war is being fought throughout Burma. They are cheaply manufactured and widely mass-produced. The increased use of drones by the junta comes as they lose momentum not only on the battlefields but also from the air.
Several military aircraft have been shot down in recent months. Additional areas of concern were the junta’s ongoing use of human shields, in which, in May alone, 58 cases were documented by KnHRG. This comes as the junta continues to issue orders which command civilians to return to their villages, where they are then trapped. Anyone caught trying to leave risks being shot on sight by the Burma Army.
In June, KnHRG reported that an older man, age 40, who was fearfully fleeing conflict in hisvillage, crashed his motorcycle while driving at high speed to try and escape and was unfortunately killed upon impact.
KnHRG also documented the worsening impacts of the ongoing conflict by the Burma Army against women and children. Their safety and security continue to be undermined by the lack of health services available, which affects infants, young children and mothers.
Without adequate medicine and nutritional food, families are devastated by the loss of their children from preventable illnesses. In temporary shelters and internal displacement camps, the rapid spread of disease is due to close quarters and shortages in clean water supply.
In May, KnHRG visited children in the refugee camps in Karenni State to make them laugh and learn through dancing, storytelling, quizzes, and games. The deprivation of childhood has serious and long-term impacts on their development, which local organizations are aware of, and seeking to secure funding for trauma-informed care.
The Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC) expressed widespread alarm in response to their most recent reports, which found nearly 50 people had been killed in Karenni State by the junta between January and June 2024. The majority of the victims were innocent children who died from artillery shelling and airstrikes.
According to the IEC, of the total 48 civilian deaths, 16 were caused by airstrikes, ten by heavy artillery shelling, four by landmines, one by gunfire, seven by being captured and executed while serving as human shields, two by indiscriminate firing, five by abduction and execution, one by drone attacks, and two from malnutrition.
In addition, 142 civilians were injured during the six months, including 28 men, 21 women, and 58 children. The Burmese junta’s corrupt quest for power continues to cost lives and traumatizeconflict-affected groups. Over 500 innocent people have been killed in Karenni State since 1 February 2021.
Nonetheless, the attempted coup has exposed the junta’s weaknesses. The people’s spirit and resilience are evident. Some have taken up arms or provided health care and education services. Others have opened places for people to discuss politics freely. The revolution will succeed because of their commitment.
Further, the international community must show its solidarity and support by heeding the calls of local people and supporting pro- democracy institutions, including the National Unity Government. Global actors must also provide emergency humanitarian assistance through localized pathways and work towards holding the junta accountable by referring the situation of human rights in Burma to the International Criminal Court.
