Myanmar conflict heavily impacting Christians in Chin State

By Lisa Zengarini

The ongoing conflict between the military junta and resistance forces in Myanmar has heavily impacted Christians and their places of worship in the country's only Christian-majority state, according to a report released this week by an independent advocacy group dedicated to exposing human rights abuses and war crimes.

Since the military coup toppled Aung San Suu Kyi on 2 February 2021, airstrikes have been a frequent occurrence across the Asian nation, with schools, villages, worship buildings, and hospitals hit.

Conflict's impact on Christian population 

The Myanmar Witness project of the UK-based Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) identified and analysed 10 incidents where churches were damaged—mostly in airstrikes—between March and August 2023, and found that the conflict that ensued the military coup is having a “sustained and long-term impact on the Christian population of Chin State,” who make up 85 percent of the local population.

The state has been at the forefront of resistance against the military regime and is said to have close links with ultra-nationalist Buddhist monks.

The report presents five case studies revealing the extent of damage to churches in Chin’s Thantlang, Falam, and Hakha townships. In some instances, photographs shared online showed the buildings with significant structural damage, including caved-in roofs. In several cases, civilian casualties and the destruction of nearby homes were also reported.

Rebel strongholds and townships placed under martial law have experienced more attacks, the report said, blaming the Myanmar Air Force, which has “overwhelming superiority” compared to rebel groups, for the attacks.

Matt Lawrence, project director of Myanmar Witness, described the destruction of churches in Chin State as “symbolic as well as physical.”

“These places of worship are not only protected under international law during times of conflict, but they’re of sacred importance to those who use them,” he said.  

At least 100 religious sites destroyed

According to the Chin Human Rights Organization cited by Uca News agency, since the February 2021 coup, at least 100 religious sites, including 55 Christian institutions, have been destroyed.

“The destruction of Christian churches is deliberate to inflict psychological trauma on a specific religious and cultural community. They are not collateral damage,” said Salai Za Uk Ling, deputy executive director of the Chin Human Rights Organization.

Christian leaders have repeatedly appealed for the protection of places of worship, citing the Hague Convention on Warfare, which also calls for the protection of hospitals and educational institutions.

Christians make up 6 percent of Myanmar’s population of 54 million, 89 percent of which is Buddhist.