Catholic priest knifed to death in Myanmar church

Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win was attacked on Friday by 10 people from a "people's defence force" (PDF) in central Sagaing region's Shwebo township.

Myanmar is four years into a bloody civil conflict between the junta and various armed groups including PDFs -- bands of former civilians who have taken up arms to oust the generals from power.

Sagaing has seen some of the heaviest fighting between junta forces and armed groups opposing its rule.

"We received the news that Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mandalay, was brutally murdered by a group of armed men on the evening of Friday," Cardinal Charles Bo, head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar, said in a statement on Sunday.

"We are deeply shocked and saddened by the news.

"We urge those responsible to take appropriate action and ensure justice is served, so that such incidents do not occur again in the future."

A PDF official in Kangyitaw village, where the killing took place, told AFP that 10 members of the group entered the church around 9 pm and forced the 44-year-old to kneel before killing him with a knife.

The 10 rebels have been arrested, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity for their own safety.

Myanmar's civil war began when the army ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in February 2021.

The multi-sided conflict has left more than 6,000 civilians dead, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group.

All parties involved have been accused of serious human rights abuses.