15 May 2026 By Ko Myo
YANGON, Myanmar — At least 28 civilians, including nine women and nine children, have been killed across Myanmar in the first 15 days of May as the military junta intensifies its nationwide air campaign, a human rights watchdog reported on Friday.
According to data compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the identities of 28 victims—consisting of nine women and 19 men—have been fully verified between 1 May and 15 May. Among the youngest casualties is a five-month-old infant, highlighting the increasingly indiscriminate nature of the regime’s tactics.
AAPP noted that the vast majority of the fatalities—20 out of 28—were the direct result of military airstrikes, which have targeted rural villages and displacement camps daily.
“The aerial bombardments against civilians are becoming terrifyingly routine,” a CDM military officer based near the border told MPA. “Ground forces lack the capability to shoot down these fighter jets. It is now critical for the international community to re-evaluate how it enforces sanctions, specifically targeting the junta’s aviation fuel supply lines to make them genuinely effective.”
The Sagaing Region reported the highest number of casualties with nine confirmed deaths, followed closely by Chin State, where eight people were killed within the same two-week period.
The current statistics may underrepresent the true scale of the violence. AAPP stated that its team is currently working to verify reports of an additional 29 civilian deaths that occurred during the same timeframe but have yet to be officially confirmed.
Illustrating the human cost, a late-night airstrike on 12 May targeted Mae Baw Kee village in Hpa-an Township, Kayin State. The blast instantly killed Naw Bar Bu, a 19-year-old displaced woman who had previously fled conflict in neighboring Hpapun Township.
As frontline casualties mount, analysts warn that the junta is increasingly relying on its unopposed air supremacy to terrorize civilian populations in resistance-held territories. Despite various international sanctions imposed by Western nations on entities importing aviation fuel into Myanmar, local monitors insist that enforcement remains weak, allowing the military to maintain its daily bombing sorties.
