The United Nations has expressed alarm after reports that a Myanmar military airstrike near the Bangladesh border killed at least 50 people and wounded dozens more, many critically. The attack, which struck a busy market in Kyauktaw town in Rakhine state on Monday, is among the deadliest single incidents in the country’s ongoing civil war.
What happened in Kyauktaw
- When and where: The strike hit Kyauktaw township, in northern Rakhine state, around midday on Monday.
- Casualties: The Arakan Army, the rebel group controlling the area, said 50 people were killed and at least 58 wounded, with local aid workers warning the toll could rise as some bodies were lost in post-strike fires.
- Who was hit: Victims included market vendors, shoppers, transport workers and other civilians; women and children were among the dead, according to photos and accounts shared by aid workers.
- Scale of destruction: The market, described as a regional wholesale hub with more than 200 shops used by multiple communities (Rakhine, Rohingya, Hindu, Daingnet and others), was heavily damaged, with charred stalls and scattered debris seen in images from the site.
UN reaction: “Conditions not safe” for refugee returns
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a briefing in New York that the latest strike “brings that reality into sharp focus”: that conditions in Rakhine still do not allow for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees and displaced people to Myanmar.
- Condemnation: UN Secretary-General António Guterres “strongly condemns” the attacks and called on all parties to end the violence immediately, protect civilians and comply with international law.
- Humanitarian access: Guterres also urged all sides to enable “safe, sustained and unimpeded” access for the UN and aid agencies to deliver assistance.
- Rights office warning: The UN human rights office, citing rights chief Volker Türk, said the casualty count was expected to rise and described the incident as one of the deadliest attacks in Rakhine since the 2021 coup.
Accusations and denials
- Arakan Army’s account: Arakan Army spokesperson Khine Thu Kha accused the military of “deliberately targeting densely populated markets, schools, civilians, and residential buildings through airstrikes,” and vowed to use “all available means” to retaliate against those involved in bombing civilians.
- Military’s stance: A Myanmar government spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. The military has previously said it exercises “maximum restraint” to avoid civilian harm, but has repeatedly carried out airstrikes in conflict zones.
Context: A brutal, nationwide war
Myanmar has been engulfed in civil war since the military’s 2021 coup, with an alliance of armed groups—including the Arakan Army—fighting junta forces across much of the country.
- Human cost: The conflict has killed around 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million in one of Southeast Asia’s poorest nations.
- Rakhine under pressure: Nearly half a million people are displaced within Rakhine alone due to fighting between the military and rebel groups.
- Regional fallout: On Tuesday, Malaysia deported around 1,500 Myanmar nationals in the first phase of a repatriation plan it calls voluntary, but which rights groups and the UN rights chief have condemned as unsafe given ongoing violence.
Why this matters
The Kyauktaw airstrike underscores how civilians—especially in crowded markets and mixed-community areas—remain at extreme risk as the war drags on. With the UN declaring conditions unfit for refugee returns and casualty figures still climbing, the attack is likely to intensify international pressure on the Myanmar military and its regional partners over protection of civilians and humanitarian access.
