NAYPYITAW, 31 July 2021, (TON): Junta soldiers in the resistance stronghold of Kani Township in Sagaing have massacred at least 28 people this month, and locals fear there are more bodies yet to be uncovered.

Seven of the confirmed killings were discovered in a forest west of the village of Zee Pin Twin. The body of a captured resistance fighter was also brought back to the village after being found in the surrounding area.

All of the victims were male and wounds on their bodies indicated they had been mercilessly tortured before their deaths.

Another five bodies were found in the area later, said “a Kani-based activist, referencing local witnesses, though he was unable to offer further details.”

Soldiers have captured dozens in Kani in recent weeks, both civilians and fighters from the Monywa People’s Defence Force (MPDF). Myanmar Now spoke to a total of nine people who either found bodies in Kani this month or heard accounts from those who did. 

The bodies found around Zee Pin Twin were so badly mutilated that villagers have only been able to identify two of them, the activist said.