An airstrike carried out by Myanmar’s military struck a school in the Sagaing region on Monday, May 12, 2025, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 students and two teachers, as reported by resistance fighters and aid workers present at the site. The attack took place in the morning at Ohe Htein Twin village, located in Tabayin township, which is also known as Depayin, and injured dozens of students.
A member of the White Depeyin People’s Defence Force, who assisted at the scene, stated that a fighter jet dropped a bomb directly on the school while students, ranging from primary to high school levels, were in session shortly after 9 a.m. This educational institution, managed by the nation’s pro-democracy movement, is about 70 miles northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city.
The resistance fighter, opting for anonymity due to concerns of military arrest, noted that three nearby houses also sustained damage in the airstrike. He emphasized that no recent hostilities had occurred in the area, although Sagaing remains a stronghold for resistance forces.
Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the opposition’s National Unity Government (NUG), corroborated the casualty figures and cautioned that the death toll might increase. The NUG spokesperson mentioned that some students could be missing due to the bombing. He alleged that the military intentionally targets civilian locations like monasteries, refugee camps, schools, and hospitals, falsely accusing them of harboring resistance fighters.
The Myanmar military refuted these reports. State-run MRTV television, in its Monday evening news segment, claimed that subversive media entities were deliberately disseminating false information. The military’s statement, quoting an unnamed local official, asserted that security forces focused on maintaining peace in the region and not targeting non-military sites. They instead accused “terrorists” of shelling and launching drone attacks on townships and villages unsupportive of their cause.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced significant concern over the reported airstrike. His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, stated, “Even in times of armed conflict, schools must be protected.”
The reported incident took place despite the Myanmar military having announced an extension of its ceasefire until May 31 to aid relief efforts following the catastrophic earthquake of March 28. Shortly after the quake, the truce was initially declared in early April, with anti-junta armed factions making similar gestures to support humanitarian efforts.
“Reports of attacks, including in Sagaing and other areas impacted by the March 28 earthquakes, add further to the already immense suffering of people in Myanmar, where over one-third of the country requires humanitarian aid,” Dujarric added.
The Sagaing region, adjacent to India, has been a focal point of armed resistance against military control. Since taking power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, the junta has increasingly relied on airstrikes to counter the widespread opposition to its rule. Resistance forces lack effective defenses against aerial assaults.
More than 6,600 civilians have been killed by security forces since the military takeover, according to data gathered by non-governmental organizations.
This latest attack follows previous incidents in the region. In September 2022, military helicopters launched aerial assaults on a school and village in Let Yet Kone within the same township, resulting in the deaths of at least 13 individuals, including seven children. In April 2023, airstrikes claimed up to 160 lives, including many children, who were attending an opposition ceremony outside Pazigyi village in Sagaing region’s Kanbalu township.
Myanmar has been embroiled in conflict since the military used lethal force to quell protests against its return to power in a 2021 coup. The military has struggled to govern effectively and has lost ground in battles against ethnic minority armies and resistance movements aligned with the NUG.
Recent reports, considered credible by the United Nations and human rights organizations, indicate that airstrikes have continued despite ceasefires declared to facilitate relief efforts following the March earthquake, which displaced tens of thousands and left them in need of humanitarian assistance.
The NUG comprises former elected officials ousted by the military coup and other anti-junta groups coordinating resistance to military rule nationwide.
