Hospital Targeted in Devastating Myanmar Junta Air Strike as Elections Approach
A devastating Myanmar junta air strike on a hospital in Mrauk-U, western Rakhine state, has killed at least 31 people and injured dozens more, aid workers confirmed Thursday. The attack comes as Myanmar’s military escalates its offensive ahead of elections scheduled to begin later this month, further deepening the country’s humanitarian crisis.
Conflict monitors report that the junta has increased air strikes year-on-year since seizing power in a 2021 coup, ending a decade-long experiment with democracy. The military, which toppled the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, has justified the elections starting December 28 as a way to restore order—but ethnic rebels and pro-democracy forces have vowed to block the polls in areas they control.
Aid worker Wai Hun Aung described the aftermath of the bombing: “The situation is very terrible. As for now, we can confirm 31 deaths, and we think there will be more. Additionally, there are 68 wounded, and the numbers are likely to rise.”
Rising Toll of Myanmar Junta Air Strike Amid Ongoing Civil War
The air strike leveled an entire wing of Mrauk-U’s general hospital, leaving rubble, debris, and bodies scattered across the wards. At daybreak, at least 20 shrouded corpses were visible outside the hospital, while a large tree appeared half-felled by the force of the blast, and a crater marked the ground nearby.
Local resident Maung Bu Chay, 61, lost three family members—his wife, daughter-in-law, and her father—in the attack. “I spent the entire night not knowing where the bombs had landed,” he said. “When I learned they were in the destroyed building, I realized they hadn’t survived. I feel strong anger and defiance in my heart.”
The Myanmar junta air strike in Mrauk-U highlights the intensifying military campaign in Rakhine state, which is largely controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic minority separatist force that has opposed the military for years. According to the AA’s health department, ten hospital patients were killed instantly in the attack around 9:00 pm local time (1430 GMT).
The AA has emerged as one of the strongest opposition groups in Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, alongside other ethnic minority fighters and pro-democracy militias that took up arms after the 2021 coup. While initially scattered, rebel groups launched a coordinated offensive in 2023, forcing the military to rely heavily on conscripted soldiers to maintain control.
The Arakan Army, previously part of the “Three Brotherhood Alliance,” remains the only faction actively fighting in Rakhine following truce agreements with the other two groups brokered by China earlier this year. Monitors report that the AA now controls 14 out of Rakhine’s 17 townships, though its ambitions largely remain confined to the state due to geographic limits, including the Bay of Bengal to the west and mountainous jungle to the north.
Despite its power, the AA has been accused of committing atrocities, particularly against the region’s Muslim Rohingya minority. Meanwhile, the military’s blockade of Rakhine has exacerbated a humanitarian disaster, contributing to soaring hunger and malnutrition rates, according to the World Food Programme.
The Myanmar junta air strike comes amid criticism of the military-led elections by international observers, including the United Nations. Beijing has positioned itself as a key supporter of the military, arguing that the vote could “restore social stability” in the region. Critics, however, view the elections as a façade intended to legitimize the junta’s rule while ethnic and pro-democracy forces continue their fight.
The hospital attack underscores the junta’s growing reliance on air power to regain territory and suppress opposition, despite the catastrophic civilian toll. Health facilities, schools, and villages have increasingly become targets in a conflict that began with the military coup and has since spiraled into a protracted civil war.
As the December elections approach, the Myanmar junta air strike on Mrauk-U hospital illustrates the deadly consequences of the military’s attempts to consolidate control. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the fighting, while the international community struggles to respond to the escalating humanitarian crisis.
The tragic loss of life and widespread destruction serve as a stark reminder of the perils faced by civilians in conflict zones and highlight the urgent need for humanitarian intervention and accountability for attacks on protected sites such as hospitals.
Source- EWN
