More than 80 people killed in Myanmar airstrikes

 An attack on a music festival in Christian-majority Kachin State in Myanmar on Sunday, Oct. 23, killed at least 80 people and injured about 200.

The Tatmadaw (Burmese Army) dispatched three fighter jets to attack an anniversary concert held by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a prominent ethnic resistance group, in remote Hpakant township. Four bombs were dropped at around 8:30 p.m.

A video from Kachin News Group showed the aftermath of the deadly attack. 

Among those killed were popular musicians, artists, and elders such as Galau Yaw Lwi and Aurali. A source within the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) said that many of the victims were fellow KBC Christians and regular civilians.  

The concert was held at a site called A Nang Pa in Hpakant Township, a KIO-controlled territory, as part of a three-day celebration marking the 62nd anniversary of the KIO’s founding. The Tatmadaw’s information office defended the attack as a “necessary operation” that was launched in response to “terrorist” acts by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the KIO’s armed wing, which the latter denied.  

Immediately after the attack, the Tatmadaw cut off phone and internet connections in the area and restricted access for humanitarian groups. 

"The Tatmadaw’s apparent violation of the laws of war should not go unpunished, as dozens of innocent lives vanished in an instant, with many still missing,” said Gina Goh, ICC’s regional manager for Southeast Asia. “The Tatmadaw also blocked access to medical care for those injured, showing its absolute disregard of human lives and the international laws. The governments around the world and the United Nations need to do more than merely issuing ‘statements of deep concern’ and impose stronger sanctions on the illegitimate coup regime.”

The DC-based Kachin Alliance published a statement on Oct. 24: "The coup regime, its leader Min Aung Hlaing, and their collaborators will be held responsible for this heinous crime. Peace in Burma is not possible without the annihilation of this coup regime once and for all. We call upon the international community to end the policy of muted response and take serious action against the terrorist regime which has committed every known war crime against the people of Burma."  

For interviews, please contact: press@persecution.org.

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ISIS attacks hospital in Congo

A Catholic nun is among seven people killed after the Congolese Islamic rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), raided Maboya village on Wednesday evening. 

The midnight terror attack targeted the Catholic hospital in Maboya, where insurgents killed patients and one staff member, stole drugs and medical equipment, and set the hospital on fire. 

“Our town was attacked at night, and we can confirm that six people have been killed,” an Anglican pastor in Maboya told International Christian Concern (ICC). “When we heard the shooting at the hospital, we ran away and spent the rest of the night hiding in the bush. We came out in the morning only to find that sister Sylvie Kalima, the nun on duty, was killed and her body burned down. The other six were inpatients.”   

Several people from shops and houses close to the hospital, including two nuns, have been reported missing with the likelihood that they were kidnapped by the attackers. 

Sister Sylvie Kalima's family confirmed that her charred remains were retrieved from the hospital room where she was on call. 

The ADF militia has heightened attacks on villages and towns since early October, in its push to Islamize the Christian-majority Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Twenty Christians were killed in Kainama, Nord-Kivu, on Oct 4. There have been daily reports of ADF attacks in Nord-Kivu and Ituri provinces.  

The Maboya incident comes a day after the Catholic Parish of Mbau held a prayer and thanksgiving mass to mark ten years since three of their priests – Edmond, Jean Pierre, and Anselm – were kidnapped by ADF rebels Oct. 19, 2012, never to return.  

The Catholic Diocese of Butembo-Beni vowed to erect a monument in Mbau in memory of these dedicated servants of God who paid the ultimate price of martyrdom. The presiding priest gave a message of comfort to the Christians of Mbau and the church in DR Congo: “I know it has not been easy being a follower of Christ in Eastern Congo. We have lost thousands of believers through terrorism and persecution but let us not give up on God and neglect prayer. I urge all of us to persevere in prayer so that this persecution comes to an end.” 

For interviews, please contact: press@persecution.org.