Myanmar junta air strike kills 31 at Mrauk-U hospital.
Attack comes amid rising airstrikes before the 28 December polls.
Arakan Army holds most of Rakhine and opposes junta-run elections.
A Myanmar military air strike on a hospital in conflict-hit Rakhine state killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens more, an on-site aid worker said, as the junta intensifies operations ahead of elections scheduled for later this month.
According to AFP, the strike hit the general hospital in Mrauk-U on Wednesday evening, with aid worker Wai Hun Aung describing scenes of “very terrible” devastation. “As for now, we can confirm there are 31 deaths and we think there will be more deaths. Also there are 68 wounded and will be more and more,” he said. AFP reported that at least 20 shrouded bodies were seen laid out outside the facility overnight. A junta spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
The attack comes as the military pushes ahead with polls beginning on 28 December, framing the vote as a path out of conflict. Rebels have vowed to block polling in areas under their control, territory the junta is attempting to retake. Reported AFP, air strikes by the military have increased each year since Myanmar’s civil war began after the 2021 coup, which ended a decade-long democratic opening under Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government.
Rakhine is now controlled almost entirely by the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine armed group that has grown into one of the most formidable forces resisting the military. The AA’s health department said on Wednesday night that 10 patients were “killed on the spot” when the strike hit at around 9 p.m. local time.
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The AA rose further in strength after joining a broader offensive in 2023 alongside two other groups in the so-called “Three Brotherhood Alliance”. While its allies have since accepted Chinese-brokered truces, the AA remains the only faction still fighting. Conflict monitors say the group now controls all but three of Rakhine’s 17 townships, though its ambitions are largely limited to the region, bordered by the Bay of Bengal and mountain ranges to the north.
Beijing has backed the junta-run election, arguing it could “restore social stability” in Myanmar, even as international monitors — including the United Nations — have criticised the planned polls.
The AA has also faced accusations of abuses, including against Rohingya communities in Rakhine. Meanwhile, a military blockade of the state has deepened a humanitarian crisis. The World Food Programme warned in August that there had been “a dramatic rise in hunger and malnutrition” as access to basic supplies collapsed under the siege.
(With inputs from AFP)
