Myanmar junta air strike on ruby mine hub kills 13

A Myanmar junta air strike on a rebel-occupied ruby mining hub killed 13 people on Saturday, according to a resident and a spokesperson for an armed opposition group.

Civil war has consumed Myanmar since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking resistance from pro-democracy guerrillas who found common cause with long-active ethnic armed groups.

Their scattered forces initially struggled to make headway, but a combined offensive starting in late 2023 seized swathes of territory, including the town of Mogok — the centre of the ruby trade.

Myanmar is rich in precious stones and rare earth elements coveted by all factions and sold off, mostly to neighbouring China, to boost war chests.

A junta spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

However, a local who declined to be named for security reasons said the strike took place around 08:15 am (0145 GMT), killing seven instantly, with six dying later of their wounds.

He said among the dead were a Buddhist monk collecting alms and a father and son who were riding the same motorbike.

“A car passing through the area was hit, too,” he added. “Seven people were wounded, including the driver.”

A spokeswoman for the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, which has occupied Mogok since last summer, matched that death toll, but gave a figure of 14 wounded.

“It was in the morning when the airstrike hit a public area,” said spokeswoman Lway Yay Oo.

“There were a lot of people walking in the street; therefore, a lot of people were killed.”

The military was initially backfooted by the rebels’ combined offensive, but has enacted conscription to boost its ranks.

Its troops recently retook several key settlements in central Myanmar, including the gold mining hub of Thabeikkyin, which it seized late last month after a year-long battle.

The junta on Thursday ended the state of emergency it had declared after toppling the government of Aung San Suu Kyi more than four years ago, and has touted elections in December as an off-ramp for the conflict.

However, with Suu Kyi still jailed, opposition groups, including ousted lawmakers, are boycotting the poll. A UN expert in June described the exercise as a “fraud” designed to legitimise the junta’s continued rule.