[This Situation Update covers human rights violations that occurred in January, March, and April 2025, in Dwe Lo, Bu Tho, and Lu Thaw townships, Mu Traw District.] State Administration Council (SAC)[2] air strikes and shelling killed multiple civilians at once and constitute war crimes. The perpetrators of these human rights abuses were soldiers from SAC artillery units and the air force, acting under the command of General Min Aung Hlaing[3]. The order [to conduct these air strikes and shelling] came from General Min Aung Hlaing. The SAC attacks targeted villagers, as 500-pound bombs and shells landed in villages that had no connection to any military activity. Moreover, suicide drones landed in school compounds, and religious buildings such as churches, monasteries, and mosques were frequently attacked by air strikes and shelling. Therefore, villagers believe that the SAC forces attacked villagers because they have not been able to achieve victories over armed resistance groups.
January 2025: SAC air strikes caused casualties and damage in Dwe Lo and Bu Tho townships
From December 9th 2024 to January 31st 2025, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[4] and the People’s Defence Force (PDF)[5] attacked and captured the SAC K’Tai Tee army camp, located near K’Tai Tee village, K’Tai Tee village tract[6], Dwe Lo Township. During the attacks, the SAC used its air force and dropped bombs on villages that were non-combatant areas.
On January 2nd 2025, a bomb [dropped by SAC aircraft] landed on Aa--- village, K’Tai Tee village tract, Dwe Lo Township. An 18-year-old student from Aa--- village, named Saw[7] A---, was killed on the spot by a bomb explosion. Additionally, the house of a 60-year-old villager named Saw B--- was burned down, and the houses of Tee[8] C--- (75 years old), Saw D--- (60 years old), Sayar[9] E--- (40 years old), and Saw F--- (35 years old), as well as a kitchen, were damaged.
On January 28th 2025, at around 6 pm, although there was no fighting, an SAC fighter jet dropped two 500-pound bombs that exploded inside Ab--- village, Kyaw Pa village tract, Bu Tho Township. [As a result,] four villagers, Naw[10] G--- [46 years old], Saw H--- [30 years old], Naw I--- [26 years old], and Saw J--- [3 years old] were killed. One of the bombs landed between the houses of Naw G--- and Naw I---. At the time of the explosion, Naw G--- was inside her house. Likewise, Naw I---, her husband Saw H---, and their child were inside their house. The explosion set both houses on fire, killing everyone inside.[11]
Additionally, [six] other villagers were injured. Two of them sustained severe abdominal injuries, with their abdomens cut open horizontally. Local villagers carried them to Ac--- clinic, located in Ad--- village, Day Wah village tract, Bu Tho Township, because there was no clinic in Ab--- village. The distance between Ac--- clinic and Ab--- village is approximately four miles [6.4 km]. However, Ac--- clinic did not have adequate equipment to provide treatment, so they were referred to Ae--- Hospital, outside of Ae--- village, K’Law Hta village tract, Lu Thaw Township, which is run by the KNLA. The villagers did not have to pay for treatment. As of November 11th 2025, the two victims had completed their treatment and were living in their village. [The KHRG researcher does not know how long they were hospitalised.]
The injuries of the [four] other villagers were not severe, so they received treatment at home. In total, [five] houses were completely burned down.
On January 28th 2025, at around 6:30 am, an air strike also happened [was conducted by the SAC] on Ac--- village, K’Tai Tee village tract, Dwe Lo Township, located north of Ab--- village. Two bombs completely destroyed two halls and the glass windows of a monastery.
On January 31st 2025, the SAC K’Tai Tee army camp was captured. However, the soldiers from the camp fled and hid in caves and canals behind the camp. [The caves and canals are] located [in the area controlled by] the BGF [Border Guard Force[12]] Battalion #1013, which has a bordered fence with Aa--- village, K’Tai Tee village tract. This made it difficult for the KNLA and PDF soldiers to finish capturing [the soldiers who fled from the army camp]. At the time, the KNLA and the PDF were cooperating to capture the SAC soldiers who had escaped.
In addition, two more air strike incidents happened [were conducted by the SAC] in K’Tai Tee village tract in January 2025, on unknown specific dates. Due to the explosions, a hall behind a Christian baptist church was damaged in Af--- village, K’Tai Tee village tract. Similarly, five cows were killed and the kitchen of a monastery was damaged in Ag--- village, K’Tai Tee village tract.
March 2025: SAC air and drone strikes, and shelling caused casualties and damage in Bu Tho and Lu Thaw townships
On March 2nd 2025, a primary school in Ah--- village [Meh Pree village tract, Bu Tho Township, Mu Traw District,] was severely damaged by a suicide drone. Villagers reported that the suicide drone hit the school and damaged the school’s files, stationery, and equipment. At first, villagers thought it was a shell, but when the KNU [Karen National Union][13] came to the damaged school and examined [the place], they found a battery used for drones. They also found the drone’s tail and fins. Thus, it was later confirmed that the school had been destroyed by an SAC suicide drone strike. However, nobody was injured or killed.
On March 4th 2025, a 120 mm shell [fired by the SAC] landed on a Catholic church near Ai--- village [Meh Pree village tract, Bu Tho Township], and damaged its roof. The church is far from villagers’ houses, so no one got killed or injured. Moreover, on the same day, at 4 pm, four more 120 mm shells landed on Aj--- village, Meh Pree village tract, injuring four villagers. Saw K--- (65 years old) was injured on his shoulders; Saw L--- (20 years old) was injured on his back; Saw M--- (45 years old) was injured on both of his thighs; and a two-year-old baby (unknown name and gender) was slightly injured on their forehead. All four injured villagers were sent to a hospital in K’Ma Maung Town [Bu Tho Township], in an area under the control of the SAC, because there are no hospitals in Aj--- village, and later referred to Ak--- Hospital [run by the SAC] in Hpa-an Town, Hpa-an District. On March 7th 2025, the victims were still hospitalised. Villagers believe that the shells were fired by an SAC artillery unit based in K’Ma Maung Town.
[Similarly,] on March 5th 2025, although there was no fighting [ongoing inside or near Al--- village, Meh Pree village tract], an SAC fighter jet came to Al--- village, dropped two 500-pound bombs, and fired for 20 minutes from an Oerlikon [mounted cannon from an aircraft]. The bombs landed on a monastery, killing an abbot and injuring two other monks. The abbot (head of the monastery) was named U[14] N--- and was 70 years old. [Of the two injured monks,] one was a secretary monk named U O--- (25 years old), and he was injured on his left hand. The other was a 14-year-old novice, who was injured on his left elbow and on the sole of his left foot. The attack almost completely burned down the monastery. The injured monks were sent to Ak--- Hospital. On March 7th 2025, they were still receiving treatment at the hospital.
[Furthermore, for an unknown specific period of time,] the SAC soldiers from K’Ma Maung Town shelled indiscriminately into villages near K’Ma Maung Town [Bu Tho Township] almost every day, causing many damages. Likewise, SAC air strikes occurred [were also conducted in other parts of the district like] in Am--- village [Ler Muh Plaw village tract, Lu Thaw Towship], on an unknown specific date, and a bomb landed on a villager’s house and destroyed it.
Due to SAC [constant] shelling and air strikes almost every day [in March 2025], around 3,000 villagers from the other side of Yoon Sa Lin River, located near An--- village, Meh K’Law village tract, Dwe Lo Township, were displaced, as they did not dare to stay in their village. Some fled to Ao--- special area, others to K’Ma Maung Town. Meanwhile, some villagers did not flee far away and instead dug bunkers to hide near the riverbank. While villagers were displaced, no humanitarian, private, or religious organisation, nor any other type of organisation, came to provide support. As of November 11th 2025, villages had not received any support.
April 2025: air strikes and shelling caused damage in Dwe Lo and Bu Tho townships
On April 12th 2025, even though there was no fighting at the northern side of Yoon Sa Lin River bridge, An--- village, Meh K’Law village tract, Dwe Lo Township, an SAC aircraft came and dropped two bombs on Yoon Sa Lin River bridge. [No villagers were injured or killed because they had displaced to safer locations in advance.] Nothing was damaged.
On April 27th 2025, an SAC artillery unit based in K’Ma Maung Town conducted shelling into Ap--- village, Htee T’Daw Hta village tract, Bu Tho Township, and, on the same day, an SAC aircraft also came and dropped [bombs] into Ap--- village, but caused no damages or casualties, as villagers had been displaced prior to the incident. As of November 11th 2025, villagers still had not returned to their village.
Further background reading on the situation of air strikes and shelling in Mu Traw District, Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports: