Air strike in western Myanmar claims at least 40 lives

Air strike in western Myanmar claims at least 40 lives

A Myanmar army airstrike on a village under the control of an armed ethnic minority has left about 40 people dead and at least 20 others injured, the group's officials and a local aid organization reported on Thursday. The bombing caused numerous houses to ignite and burn down.

Details of the attack in Kyauk Ni Maw

The attack took place on Wednesday in the village of Kyauk Ni Maw on Ramree Island, which is controlled by the ethnic Arakan Army in western Rakhine State. The army has not yet announced any attack in this area.

Difficult communication situation

The situation in the village could not be independently confirmed as access to internet and mobile communications is largely disrupted in the area.

Background to the violence in Myanmar

Myanmar has been rocked by ongoing violence that began in February 2021 when the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Following the army's violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrations, many opponents of military rule took up arms and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

Statements from the Arakan Army

Khaing Thukha, a spokesman for the Arakan Army, told the Associated Press news agency that a fighter jet bombed the village on Wednesday afternoon, killing 40 civilians and wounding more than 20 others. "All the dead were civilians. Among the dead and injured are women and children," Thukha continued. A fire caused by the airstrike spread across the village and destroyed more than 500 houses.

Uncertainty about the motives

It remains unclear why the village was attacked. The head of a local aid organization and independent media also reported on the airstrike and the number of casualties.

Military government increases air strikes

The military government has increased airstrikes over the past three years against armed pro-democracy groups, collectively known as the People's Defense Forces, as well as armed ethnic minorities. These groups have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades, sometimes conducting joint operations against the army.

Strategic control of the Arakan Army

Ramree, about 340 kilometers northwest of Yangoon, the country's largest city, was captured by the Arakan Army in March last year. This is the military wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority, which seeks autonomy from Myanmar's central government. It is also a member of an alliance of armed ethnic groups that recently gained strategic territory in the northeast of the country on the border with China.

Injured people and support for those affected

An aid agency leader supporting the village's residents told the AP that at least 41 people were killed and 50 others were injured in the airstrike that targeted the village's market. The leader, who was outside the city at the time of the attack, wished to remain anonymous for security reasons. He said he was informed of the events by members of his group who were in the village and faced a shortage of medicines to treat the injured.

Reporting and the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine

Rakhine news outlets, including Arakan Princess Media, also reported on the attack and published photos showing people trying to put out the fires in their homes. Rakhine, formerly called Arakan, was the site of a brutal army counter-insurgency operation in 2017 that caused some 740,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee across the border into Bangladesh.