In areas where the People’s Defense Forces and ethnic allied forces are jointly launching offensives, the brutal military junta is daily committing war crimes by aerially bombarding civilian villages with explosive munitions, using landmines, and indiscriminately firing heavy weapons. Ground reports indicate the junta has conducted 583 air strikes on civilian areas, resulting in 897 deaths including 627 children under 18 and 1,017 women, as well as the destruction of 76 religious buildings and 52 schools. Therefore, every citizen must be aware of measures to ensure their safety and minimize casualties, and make necessary preparations. In December 2023, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management under the National Unity Government provided a 3-day training on civilian protection and community resilience to field humanitarian focal staff in Sagaing, Magway, Kachin, Chin and Karenni regions/states. The training covered air raid and artillery drill exercises, awareness on landmines, explosives and chemical weapons, first aid during armed conflicts, psychosocial support programs, and safety for humanitarians.
So far, the humanitarian focal staff from 23 townships who attended have cascaded the training at the grassroots level, conducting 82 sessions that provided awareness to 8,036 local residents to help them prepare for minimizing civilian casualties.
