Rangoon, Dec 19 (ANI): Burma's military junta has been accused of killing and committing abuses against civilians during a brutal six-month conflict between the government and ethnic minority rebels from Kachin, a state in northern Burma bordering China.
The war has killed and maimed countless civilians and caused 30,000, probably more, to flee the nation.
Yet the turmoil has gone entirely unnoticed, as the outside world chooses instead to focus on the possibility of a Burmese thaw and rapprochement with the generals.
As the conflict intensified, the Burmese government announced a ceasefire last week, but sources in Kachin areas said clashes continued.
Kachin civilians interviewed by The Guardian claimed that the Burmese troops attacked villages without warning. They said the forces not only killed civilians, but also subjected men to brutal interrogations.
Civilians also revealed that chemical agents were used around one village, possibly to push people out of the area.
According to the paper, the longrunning conflict is one of many between the Burmese state and ethnic groups, which reignited two years ago as the government sought to extend its hold.
Groups including Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights and Partners Relief and Development have also gathered numerous accounts of abuses.
These organisations claimed that while the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has also committed violations, government soldiers are responsible for the vast majority. (ANI)
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