Myanmar junta’s troops set fire to seven villages in Khin-U Township, Shwebo District, Sagaing Region over 12 days, according to local sources.

More than 300 houses were destroyed and about 2,500 people were left homeless by the fires that were started between 5 and 16 March.

“When the junta troops came to the village, they fired heavy weapons. All the villagers were afraid so they ran away. Then they [the soldiers] entered the village and set fire to the houses picked out by a dalan [pro-junta informer]. But, the informer made sure the fire did not reach his house”, said a villager from Sha Lwin Village.

More than 100 houses were destroyed by fire in Sha Lwin and Kala Lu villages on 16 March and a woman from Sha Lwin village was injured when junta troops opened fire in the village.

Since the coup on 1 February 2021 until 15 March 2022, junta forces have set fire to 7,248 houses, according to a Data for Myanmar research team who said that the actual number of houses burned was likely to be far higher.

The number of houses set on fire in each region, as recorded by Data for Myanmar, were as follows: 4,426 in Sagaing Region, 1,148 in Magway Region, 1,121 in Chin State, 357 in Kayah State, 93 in southern Shan State, 38 in Mandalay Region, 29 in Tanintharyi Region, 24 in the western part of Bago Region, 7 in Kayin State and 5 in Kachin State.

The seven villages that were set on fire in Khin-U Township between 5 and 16 March were: Dan Kone Village, Mantaw Village, Kyun Lal Village, Thet Pay Village, Tamot Village, Kala Lu Village, and Sha Lwin Village.