DILI, 4 december 2021 (TATOLI)- United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF) has condemned Myanmar Military for brutally killing at least 35 people including four children in the Kayah State of Myanmar.
According to the statement released from the UNICEF, the children were killed in the attack, including two 17-year-old boys, a teenage girl and a child of approximately 5-6 years of age, of indeterminate gender, it is also said that they were killed together with the two staff members of the humanitarian organization Save their lives, in Kayah State in Eastern Myanmar, on 24 December.
“UNICEF strongly condemns this attack on civilians, children, and humanitarian workers,” The UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific Ms. Debora Comini at headquarter in BANGKOK, on 28, december, this Wednesday.
It is said that the protection of civilians, and particularly children and humanitarian workers, must be treated as a priority during times of conflict, following international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Myanmar is a signatory.
“UNICEF calls for urgent action to investigate this deplorable incident and to hold those responsible to account. We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and our colleagues at Save the Children.”
The Chief Executive of Save the Children Organization, Inger Ashing said it is with profound sadness that they confirmed the two members of the Children’s staff were among at least 35 people who were killed on the 24th of December in an attack by the Myanmar military in Kayah State, in the east of the country.
“The two Save the Children staff members, whose deaths were confirmed today, were killed while returning to Save the Children’s Loikaw office after responding to humanitarian needs in a nearby community,” said Ashing.
The military forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed many, and burnt the bodies. While the men on their way back to their office working as humanization responses in the nearby community.
Ms. Inger at the same time stated that the investigation for the incident is continuing.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure all our staff and the families of the victims get the support they need after this devastating incident. The UN Security Council must convene as soon as possible to set out the steps they will take to hold those responsible to account,” she said.
It is added that, following the incident, Save the Children will temporarily suspend their operation in Kayah, Chin, and Parts of Magway and Kayin however they will remain fully committed to helping the most vulnerable children in Myanmar, especially during this time of conflict.
It is recalled that Save the Children has been working in Myanmar since 1995, providing life-saving healthcare, food, education, and child protection programs through more than 50 partners and 900 staff across the country.
TATOLI
