The United States on Friday announced new sanctions against the Myanmar military for “atrocities” against civilians following last year’s coup.

The new measures came days after Washington said it has concluded that Myanmar’s military committed genocide against the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority.

“Brutality and oppression have become trademarks of the Burmese military regime’s rule,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said.

“Treasury is committed to holding accountable those who are responsible for the ongoing violence and repression.”

The sanctions target two military commanders, an infantry division as well as three businessmen and four businesses.

The measures come as Washington increasingly punishes the military both for the February 2021 coup that saw Aung San Suu Kyi ousted and the violence in 2016 and 2017 against the Rohingya, which Washington earlier this week declared was an attempt to “destroy” the Muslim minority.

The new sanctions apply to Brigadier-General Ko Ko Oo, and Major-General Zaw Hein as well as the 66th Light Infantry Division, which Treasury said has been accused of carrying out a December 2021 massacre in which civilians “were captured, tortured and killed, including some whom members of the military reportedly burned alive.”

Three individuals and two companies were also sanctioned for providing arms to the military, while two firms were targeted for assisting other businesses that had been sanctioned previously.

AFP