More military casualties since Government – BRN peace talks
The start of peace talks with the Baranasi Revolusi Nasional group in March was marred by a sharp increase in violence by groups opposing the negotiations. In June, there was a slight increase in the number of casualties compared to last month, up to 24 killed and 65 injured, but the level still remains below the year-high in March. The increase in the number of casualties since the declaration of peace talks mainly corresponds to an increase in the number of military or police targets (also including defence volunteers and paramilitary personnel). In a year-on-year comparison, there has been an almost 60 % increase in the number of casualties this June compared to last year. This is also true for the period directly preceding the talks, as casualties have risen by about 66 % since March compared to the preceding four months.
Increased violence in Yala province
Violent actions have been higher than average in Yala and Pattani provinces, and the most dangerous districts since the start of the peace talk process have been: Yala (Yala province), Rueso (Narathiwat province), Krong Pinang (Yala province), Sai Buri (Pattani province) and Pattani (Pattani province).
Spike in vehicle bombs over but IEDs remain significant
In June, casualties from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were the highest since March (44 injured, 6 dead) while vehicle bomb casualties also crept slightly upward (5 injured, 1 killed) but remained far from the March year-high of 22 injured and 1 killed. Gunshot attacks are by far the most deadly attacks in the South but this type of attack decreased in June to the lowest level in a year, 14 persons were killed by gunshots 8 were injured last month. Gunshot and IED attacks are more often targeted on military, local administration or educational staff targets whereas vehicle bombs have hit areas with many civilian bystanders.
After a spike in vehicle bomb attack casualties in March after a string of bombings in public places, this type of attack has dropped.
Casualties caused by improvised explosive devices, such as homemade bombs placed in containers on the roadside, have caused more casualties this month than since the beginning of the peace talks.
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