Myanmar junta airstrike kills 40 in Rakhine village

A member of a local rescue team corroborated the death toll, stating, “At the moment, we don’t even have enough betadine and methylated spirit to treat them as transportation is hard.” The rescue worker, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, added that 41 people had died and 52 were injured.

Photos of the aftermath show residents wandering through charred ruins, surrounded by debris, stripped trees, and the remnants of collapsed buildings.

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The Rakhine region, a flashpoint in Myanmar’s ongoing turmoil, has seen intensified clashes between the military and the Arakan Army. The AA has seized significant territory in the past year, effectively isolating the state capital, Sittwe.

The conflict in Rakhine is part of a larger crisis that erupted after the military’s 2021 coup, which ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government. This sparked widespread armed resistance, including from youth-led “People’s Defence Forces” and established ethnic minority groups like the AA.

The junta, struggling to maintain control across multiple fronts, has frequently been accused of targeting civilian areas with air and artillery strikes.

Ramree Island, where the strike occurred, is the site of a proposed China-backed deep-sea port, meant to serve as Beijing’s gateway to the Indian Ocean. However, construction on the port has stalled due to ongoing unrest.

The conflict has also caused severe humanitarian consequences. In November, the UN Development Programme warned that Rakhine was on the brink of famine as fighting disrupted commerce and agriculture.

Last week, the United Nations reported that over 3.5 million people have been displaced nationwide — an increase of 1.5 million from the previous year. The UN’s humanitarian agency, OCHA, described the outlook for 2025 as “grim,” estimating that 19.9 million people, more than a third of Myanmar’s population, will require aid.