Oslo: In the first 20 months following the military coup in February 2021, more than 6,000 civilians were killed in Myanmar, according to a report released by the Oslo-based Peace Research Institute on Tuesday.
Stein Tonnesson, one of the report's two co-authors, said in a statement that the data "shows that the human toll of the conflict is higher than previously reported, and while the junta is clearly the main killer, anti-junta forces also have large amounts of blood on their hands."
According to the report, between February 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022, 6,337 civilians were killed "for political reasons" and 2,614 others were injured. Compared to other estimates, including those from international organisations, this toll is significantly higher.
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The report states that 2,152 deaths were attributed to armed opposition groups, while 3,003 deaths were almost entirely attributable to the regime, including the army, police, and militias.
One hundred and seventeenty were attributed to unidentified actors, and twelve to other civilians who were not connected to the regime or its opponents. The report stated that although "this is a higher number than is typically cited in the media, it is only an estimate, based on reported killings gathered from reliable media reports."
The actual number is undoubtedly higher because there were probably more killings than were reported. The Myanmar military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's government and declared the legislative elections that her party had won invalid on grounds of widespread fraud.
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Since then, the junta has arrested more than 23,000 people, according to a local watchdog, in a massive crackdown on any opposition.