40 killed in Myanmar government airstrike: rescue worker, ethnic armed group

In a bloody battle with the military for control of Rakhine, the Arakan Army (AA) has taken over large areas of the region in the last 12 months, effectively cutting off Sittwe, the city.

An ethnic minority armed group and rescue worker told AFP on Thursday (January 9, 2025) that at least 40 people were killed in a village in western Rakhine state by a Myanmar military airstrike.

In a fierce battle with the military for control of Rakhine, the Arakan Army (AA) has taken over large areas of the region in the last 12 months, effectively cutting off Sittwe, the city.

One aspect of the violent instability that has gripped Myanmar since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian administration in a coup in 2021, leading to a massive armed uprising, is the Rakhine War.

Around 1:20 p.m. (0650 GMT) on Wednesday, a military jet blasted Kyauk Ni Maw on Ramree island, causing a fire that consumed around 500 homes, according to AA spokesperson Khaing Thu Kha, who spoke to AFP.

"According to initial reports, 40 innocent civilians were killed and 20 were wounded," he stated.

41 people were killed and 52 injured, according to a member of a local rescue organization whose team was assisting locals, who spoke to AFP.

The rescuer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to ensure their safety, stated, "At the moment, we don't even have enough betadine and methylated spirit to treat them as the transportation is hard."

Burned remains
Images from the bombing's aftermath showed stunned locals strolling amid burning, burned rubble, corrugated metal-covered ground, leafless trees, and houses that had been reduced to a few pieces of wall.

Phone calls to the junta for comment on the event have gone unanswered by AFP.

Although work has been halted by the upheaval, Ramree Island is home to a planned deep sea port supported by China that, when finished, will provide Beijing with access to the Indian Ocean.

The military has been frequently accused of deploying artillery and airstrikes to target civilian communities, and it is fighting against opposition to its control on several fronts around the nation.

The military is fighting a number of long-standing, well-equipped ethnic minority armed groups, such as the AA, which control sizable segments of the country's borders, in addition to youth-led "People's Defence Forces" that formed to oppose the coup.

As conflict stifled trade and agricultural output, the U.N. Development Programme issued a warning in November that Rakhine was on the verge of famine.

Last week, the United Nations reported that the fighting in Myanmar has displaced over 3.5 million people, up 1.5 million from the previous year.

The UN humanitarian organization OCHA gave a "grim" forecast for the upcoming year, estimating that 19.9 million people, or more than one-third of the population, would require aid in 2025.