Five killed, 29 injured in Myanmar military airstrikes on AA-held areas in Rakhine State

Myanmar’s military carried out airstrikes on three Rakhine State townships controlled by the Arakan Army (AA) on Sunday, killing five civilians and injuring 29 others, according to local residents and the ethnic armed group. The dead ranged in age from 12 to 34, while those injured were between 10 and 70 years old. The first attack occurred at about 11:30am in Ma-Ei, a town in Taungup Township, where military aircraft dropped three bombs, killing five people and wounding 22 others, including a monk and several children, a local resident said. “It’s saddening. I can’t imagine what kind of mindset they have to do this,” the resident said. “They just launch airstrikes wherever they please. I don’t even know what to say.” The strike also destroyed a church and about 20 homes, the resident added. Later, at about 4pm, military fighter jets bombed the town of Thandwe for nearly 30 minutes, injuring four civilians and damaging several houses, according to a local woman. “The strikes and explosions occurred around the police station and near the court where they previously stayed,” she said, referring to junta forces. At about 6:30pm, a fighter jet dropped two bombs near Taungpauk Monastery, between the villages of Yaehpyukan and Yarchaung in Ponnagyun Township, injuring two monks and another civilian, residents said. In a statement released on Sunday, the AA condemned the attacks and questioned the junta’s commitment to peace, saying its targeting of civilian areas contradicted its recent calls for negotiations. The regime, which has refashioned itself as a civilian government following elections widely rejected by opponents as neither free nor fair, has invited ethnic armed organisations and other armed groups to participate in peace talks between April 20 and July 31. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ally of the AA within the Brotherhood Alliance, attended talks in the regime’s capital, Naypyitaw, over the weekend. China has also urged another alliance member, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, to participate. A source close to senior AA leaders said the group was unlikely to join negotiations while military airstrikes continued against civilian areas. “Launching airstrikes while talking about peace is unnatural,” the source said. “I don't think they will attend the talks.” The AA has intensified its criticism of Myanmar’s military in recent statements, vowing to continue fighting alongside other resistance groups. According to the group’s Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office, military attacks killed 83 people and injured 187 in areas under AA control during the first six months of the year. The office also said at least 65 people were arrested during the same period. The AA controls 14 of Rakhine State’s 17 townships, as well as Paletwa Township in neighbouring Chin State, and is currently engaged in fighting in Sittwe and Kyaukphyu, which are both still under regime control. The group is also engaged in military operations in Chin State’s Mindat and Kanpetlet townships, and parts of Magway, Ayeyarwady, and Bago regions.

Five killed, 29 injured in Myanmar military airstrikes on AA-held areas in Rakhine State

Children and monks were among the victims of the attacks, which come amid calls by the regime for peace talks

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