Mrauk-U, Rakhine State – At least 33 people were killed when Myanmar’s military conducted an air strike on a hospital in Mrauk-U, western Rakhine state. The military claims the victims were armed members of opposition groups, including the Arakan Army and the People’s Defence Force, but witnesses, aid workers, and the United Nations say the victims were civilians receiving medical care.
Military Claims and UN Response
In a statement published by the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, the military said the hospital was being used as a base by armed groups and that the strike was part of a counterterrorism operation.
However, the United Nations strongly condemned the attack. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk called for an investigation, warning that the strike “may amount to a war crime”.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed shock, stating that the attack destroyed operating rooms and inpatient wards, killing health workers, patients, and family members.
Context of the Rakhine Conflict
Mrauk-U, located 530 km northwest of Yangon, has been a center of conflict since the Arakan Army captured it in February 2024. The Arakan Army, representing the Buddhist Rakhine ethnic minority, seeks greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government. Since November 2023, the group has seized key military and administrative sites across Rakhine.
The region has a history of ethnic tensions, including the 2017 military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims that displaced approximately 740,000 people to Bangladesh.
Political Implications
The air strike comes amid Myanmar’s upcoming elections on December 28, 2025, which the military hopes will legitimize its rule. Opponents of the junta argue the elections will be neither free nor fair, and critics say intensified air strikes aim to suppress opposition and intimidate civilians.
The Arakan Army has pledged to pursue accountability in cooperation with international organizations, promising “strong and decisive action” to ensure justice for the victims.
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