US To Sanction Myanmar's Military Junta After Deadly Protests

President Joe Biden's administration will take new measures against Myanmar's military junta as violence escalates across the country, the White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Monday.

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On Sunday, at least 18  people were killed and more than 30 injured during peaceful demonstrations that the police confronted, the United Nations Human Rights Office reported.

Upon the news of the deadly clashes, the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan  said that his government  "will continue coordinating closely with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world to hold those responsible for the violence to account, and to reinforce our support for the people of Burma [Myanmar]."

On Monday, the White House press secretary said that "the killings represent an escalation of the ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy protesters." Also, the official announced that the US is preparing additional actions to impose further costs on those responsible for this latest outbreak of violence and the recent coup, and we expect to have more to share on that in the coming days."

On February 23, the White House imposed sanctions on two military junta members that carried out the February 1 coup. Joe Biden's administration also insisted that its government would take further measures if violence escalates.