Two children injured in grenade attack at Muslim IDP camp in Sittwe

By Admin 15 Apr 2024

DMG Newsroom
15 April 2024, Sittwe

Two children from Ohntawgyi (North) Muslim camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, were injured as junta soldiers threw a grenade into the camp at about 8 p.m. on April 13, according to Muslim IDPs.

Two men in their 30s from the IDP camp ran away when they were called up to serve in the military, and when junta soldiers threw a grenade at them, they hit two children nearby.

“When the regime soldiers called two men over 30 years old to serve in the army, they ran away. The junta soldiers said they were fugitives, and when they threw a grenade, it hit the children nearby. Two children — a baby girl and a boy — sustained injuries to their abdomen and backs,” said a Muslim IDP.

About 10 junta soldiers and police brought the two children to provide medical treatment on the morning of April 14.

“Family members of the injured are not allowed to take care of their children. Junta soldiers and police brought the two children to provide medical treatment. Their condition is considered not life-threatening, but family members are concerned for the children’s safety,” said a Muslim IDP woman.

Myanmar’s military regime forcibly conscripted and provided basic military training to over 1,000 Muslims from villages and displacement camps in Arakan State’s Sittwe in March, and has summoned 1,000 more Muslims.

Family members are concerned that the regime is forcibly conscripting Muslims into military training and sending them to the front line.

“We are in a situation where we can’t flee or evade. The first time Muslims were taken into military service, many were killed in the battle of Rathedaung. Now, the regime will do this after giving military training to Muslims. I want to say that this is killing our people by using them as hostages,” said a Muslim man from Bumay Village.

After the regime activated the conscription law in February, people were forced into military service and sent to battlefields to face off against forces opposed to junta rule.