Junta airstrikes kill three monks in Sagaing monasteries over Thingyan

TL;DR

Myanmar junta airstrikes killed three monks by bombing monasteries in Sagaing Region during Thingyan holidays.[[1]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/three-monks-dead-as-junta-bombs-monasteries-during-myanmars-buddhist-new-year/)[[2]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/three-monks-dead-as-junta-bombs-monasteries-during-myanmars-buddhist-new-year)
Campaign targeted resistance-held areas, with strikes continuing non-stop over the Buddhist New Year period.[[2]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/three-monks-dead-as-junta-bombs-monasteries-during-myanmars-buddhist-new-year)
Strikes hit civilian shelters like monasteries, worsening displacement and fear during a time of religious observance.[[3]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-assaults-displace-thousands-during-myanmars-thingyan-new-years-festival)

The story at a glance

Myanmar Now reports that the military junta's airstrikes in Sagaing Region killed three monks at bombed monasteries during the Thingyan Buddhist New Year holidays. The attacks are part of an ongoing campaign against resistance-held territory, with no pause for the festival. This comes amid broader offensives displacing over 10,000 civilians in nearby Yinmabin and Pale townships.[[3]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-assaults-displace-thousands-during-myanmars-thingyan-new-years-festival)

Sagaing is a resistance stronghold since the 2021 coup.

Key points

Three monks died in junta airstrikes on monasteries serving as shelters in Sagaing Region.[[1]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/three-monks-dead-as-junta-bombs-monasteries-during-myanmars-buddhist-new-year/)
Strikes persisted throughout Thingyan (April 13-16, 2026), a major Buddhist festival of water splashing and merit-making.[[2]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/three-monks-dead-as-junta-bombs-monasteries-during-myanmars-buddhist-new-year)
Related assaults in Yinmabin Township killed a 14-year-old girl with gyrocopters and displaced over 10,000 to forests, as monasteries became unsafe.[[3]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-assaults-displace-thousands-during-myanmars-thingyan-new-years-festival)
In Pale Township, three civilians were tortured, killed, and buried behind a monastery; one shot in mouth, another hands severed.[[3]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-assaults-displace-thousands-during-myanmars-thingyan-new-years-festival)
Junta columns (about 100 troops each) advanced with air support to reclaim territory from anti-junta forces.[[3]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-assaults-displace-thousands-during-myanmars-thingyan-new-years-festival)
Escalation follows a local resistance commander's defection in February, prompting more troops and raids.[[3]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-assaults-displace-thousands-during-myanmars-thingyan-new-years-festival)

Details and context

The article focuses on the junta's intensified air campaign in Sagaing, a key anti-junta area where resistance groups like People's Defence Forces hold rural zones while the military controls towns. Monasteries, traditionally safe havens for displaced civilians during fighting, are now frequent targets—part of a pattern seen in prior years, though specifics on these three monks remain limited due to the site's paywall.[[3]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-assaults-displace-thousands-during-myanmars-thingyan-new-years-festival)

Thingyan disrupts normal life: families usually gather for precepts and elder respect, but locals hid instead. Recent related strikes in Shwebo's Sinin village (early April) killed one monk and two women at a monastery, destroying pagodas, homes, and schools—showing no holiday respite.[[4]](https://english.dvb.no/three-civilians-killed-by-airstrikes-in-sagaing-region-so-far-this-month)

Junta aims to cut supply lines linking Sagaing to Magway and Chin, amid leader Min Aung Hlaing's power consolidation.

Key quotes

“Even monasteries and schools are being targeted from the air, so people don’t dare to stay there.” – Local man aiding displaced in Yinmabin.[[3]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-assaults-displace-thousands-during-myanmars-thingyan-new-years-festival)

“We usually observe the precepts and pay respect to elders. Now we can’t do anything. We are just trying to survive.” – Displaced resident from Yinmabin.[[3]](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-assaults-displace-thousands-during-myanmars-thingyan-new-years-festival)

Why it matters

Junta airstrikes on religious sites during a sacred holiday signal disregard for civilian protections and Buddhist norms in a devout country, fueling resistance resolve. Civilians in Sagaing face acute risks, with nowhere safe amid 10,000+ displaced and shelters bombed, straining aid in a post-earthquake zone. Watch for junta ground advances or resistance counter-moves in Sagaing, though full details on casualties may emerge slowly from local sources.