Myanmar Junta Airstrike At Rakhine Detention Site Killing 28 Children

Myanmar’s military junta airstrike killed 28, including children and injured 25 others, the Arakan Army (AA) said in an announcement today after an attack in western Rakhine state, at a temporary detention site of families of soldiers of the Myanmar military. The attack was staged on Saturday at Mrauk-U Township where the families were being detained by the AA.

The AA, which has been at loggerheads with the military over control of Rakhine, said the airstrike occurred around 4:45 PM local time. “Those killed and wounded were family members of Myanmar Army soldiers, whom we had detained during fighting,” the AA said in a Telegram post. The group claimed it was to release the detainees when the airstrike hit.

The list, shared by the AA, shows that among the dead are nine children, including a two-year-old boy, and several women. Photos from the scene showed rows of bodies covered in white sheets, with grieving relatives nearby.

AFP’s efforts to seek comments on the incident from the junta went in vain. Attacks by the military have often come under persistent allegations that they deliberately hit civilians with air and artillery strikes as it fights different armed groups scattered all over the nation. It is still unclear what precipitated the airstrike in Mrauk-U whether the military miscalculated or did not know that the place was an arrestee facility.

The AA has gained significant control over Rakhine in recent months, nearly isolating the state capital, Sittwe. The broader conflict in Myanmar has escalated since the military coup in 2021, which deposed Aung San Suu Kyi’s government and ignited widespread resistance.

The United Nations reported that over 3.5 million people have been displaced by the ongoing conflict, with Rakhine facing a looming famine due to disrupted commerce and agriculture.