Myanmar military air strike kills dozens in Rakhine village, UN says By Reuters

By Sean Naing

(Reuters) – Dozens of people were killed in an airstrike by Myanmar’s military government in western Rakhine state this week, the United Nations said, as the Southeast Asian nation’s civil war entered its fourth year.

The civilian shadow government and the Arakan Army, an ethnic militia based in Rakhine fighting for the region’s autonomy, also said dozens of people were killed in the attack.

The junta struck Kyauk Ni Mau village in Yanbye town on Wednesday afternoon, destroying around 500 homes and killing more than 40 people, the Government of National Unity and the United Nations said in a statement late Friday.

Reuters could not immediately verify the reports. A military spokesman did not return calls for comment. The junta has denied allegations of atrocities against civilians, saying it is fighting “terrorists”.

The Arakan Army released the names of 26 Muslim villagers, according to whom they were killed and 12 wounded in the attack.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, sparking mass protests that turned into a full-scale armed insurgency on multiple fronts.

The UN statement called on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.

The Blood Money Campaign, a coalition of Myanmar activists working to cut off the junta’s revenue, has called on international governments to swiftly sanction companies that supply it with aviation fuel.

“Only when this support stops will the airstrikes really end,” said Mullan, a spokesman for the Blood Money Campaign, which goes by one name.