The Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC) reported that junta's human rights violations in Karenni (Kayah) State resulted in 48 civilian deaths and 142 injuries over the past six months.
During the six months from January to the end of June, airstrikes and shelling were the primary causes of civilian casualties. Additionally, arbitrary shootings by junta troops, the use of civilians as human shields, drone strikes, and landmines have also resulted in injuries and deaths.
Clashes that occurred in several downtown wards of Loikaw on July 4 also resulted in civilian casualties, according to IEC Secretary No. 2 U Banyar.
“"We were informed that three civilians were killed during the July 4 clashes. We believe these casualties were caused by an artillery shell explosion”, he said.
Nine children, two women, four men, and one unidentified person were killed by the junta's airstrikes over a period of six months. Additionally, nine children, fourteen women, and twelve men were injured.
During the same period, five children, three women, and two men were killed, and forty-five children, four women, and five men were injured due to artillery shelling, IEC stated.
In Karenni State, tensions persisted between the junta and the Karenni resistance coalition in the first week of July, with occasional skirmishes reported.
Colonel Phone Naing, the Adjutant General of the Karenni Army (KA), stated that due to ongoing clashes, war-displaced people should refrain from returning to their homes and resettling, despite many already having returned to their homes in Loikaw.
"In fact, due to the security situation, locals should avoid returning home altogether. Although some are resettling in specific wards, particularly in Nambawwan where enemy presence is most concentrated, it's not yet safe for locals to return. We're still assessing the number of civilian casualties there", he said.
The Karenni resistance forces also emphasized their cautious operations to minimize harm to local populace during skirmishes, despite repeated warnings against returning to their homes.
In the three years since the coup, 543 people have been killed, 374 arrested, and 633 injured by the junta in Karenni State, all of them civilians, according to a biweekly statement by the Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN).
