NAYPYITAW, 14 October 2021, (TON): Resistance groups active in eastern Sagaing Region say that regime forces based in the area are using local civilians as human shields in a bid to fend off attacks.

The groups said “after months of suffering heavy casualties, troops stationed in Ayadaw Township have started forcing villagers to accompany them as they enter areas where they are at risk of being ambushed.”

Yaung Pyan, a member of the Ayadaw People’s Defence Force (PDF), one of several local groups fighting the regime said “they make civilians go ahead of them when they raid villages. That way, the villagers are injured if we attack, and not them.”

According to Yaung Pyan, military units based in the villages of Naung Gyi Aing and Magyi Kan have engaged in the practice, which is regarded as a war crime under international law.

The accusation comes amid calls for stiffer sanctions against the regime that seized power on February 1. On Thursday, a resolution adopted by the European Parliament condemned the junta’s gross human rights violations, including its use of violence against protesters.