Junta airstrikes killed at least 41 people and injured 50 others in a village in Rakhine State’s Ramree Township on Wednesday, according to emergency groups responding to the attack.
The air assault on Kyauk Ni Maw, a village under Arakan Army (AA) control, destroyed over 500 homes and a busy market, prompting local volunteers to urgently appeal for medical supplies to aid the wounded.
“Many people lost their lives as bombs were dropped on multiple sites by two fighter jets,” an emergency volunteer told Myanmar Now.
Bombs struck the southern section of the densely populated village, causing catastrophic civilian casualties. Explosions ignited fires that quickly spread from the south to the central and northern areas.
Local villagers, alongside the AA’s People Security and Administrative Departments, worked together to extinguish the flames. Women and children were among the dead and injured.
“These attacks targeting civilians in non-combat areas are among the regime’s most vile and cowardly acts,” AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha told Myanmar Now. “They are openly committing war crimes.”
Heavy smoke and flames could be seen on Thursday as fires raged through the area. Kyauk Ni Maw is located around 14 miles south of Ramree, an administrative town on Ramree Island which was seized by the AA in March 2024.
According to sources in the village, the victims include both ethnic Rakhines and Muslims, but the identities of those killed have yet to be determined. Emergency responders said the area targeted was also populated with displaced people from across Rakhine State.
Over 12,000 people have recently arrived in Ramree Township fleeing fighting between the AA and the military regime, local sources said.
“I think they targeted crowded civilian areas,” an emergency responder said. “The village has been under the surveillance of junta warships over the past three months.”
The AA has captured 14 of Rakhine State’s 17 townships since November 2023, leaving Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and Manaung Island as the last areas still under junta control.
“They bombed Kyuak Ni Maw out of fear that the AA will soon take Kyaukphyu,” a local source told Myanmar Now.
Earlier this month, a series of junta airstrikes killed at least 10 people in Rakhine State’s Ponnagyun and Myebon townships.
Former Rakhine politician Pe Than said the aerial assault reflects the regime’s refusal to pursue peace talks.
“This attack makes it clear that the junta has outright rejected the Arakan Army’s offer for political dialogue,” he said.
