During the first three weeks of March, over 70 civilians were killed in seven western Myanmar townships as the junta launched airstrikes and artillery fire in areas where they had recently lost control, according to local residents speaking to Radio Free Asia.
Residents reported that more than 100 civilians were injured in the seven townships captured by the rebel ethnic Arakan Army since November, with indiscriminate shelling hitting residential areas.
One woman from Rakhine state’s Kyauktaw township expressed fear of jet fighters flying overhead, causing sleepless nights due to the constant threat.
The Arakan Army gained control of Kyauktaw in January and forced junta troops out of Mrauk-U and Minbya townships in February, leading to daily airstrikes in these areas since early March, as reported by Mya Tun, the director of Arakan Human Rights Defenders and Promoters Association.
The use of highly destructive cluster bombs and 500-pound bombs by the military on villages has resulted in the destruction of schools and houses, described as inhuman by Mya Tun.
Airstrikes and artillery shelling have also been reported in Myay Pon, Ponnagyun, and Pauktaw townships in Rakhine, as well as in Paletwa township in neighboring Chin state.
‘Grave civilian safety risks’
Between March 1 and March 18, 73 civilians were killed and 103 were injured in airstrikes and artillery shelling in the mentioned townships, based on RFA’s data.
Residents in Myay Pon and Mrauk-U reported destruction of homes and schools due to junta airstrikes, with casualties in ethnic Rakhine neighborhoods.
A resident of Mrauk-U, speaking anonymously for security reasons, mentioned that retaliatory airstrikes by the military council were in response to their losses in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, and Minbya townships, as well as to cause trouble for the Rakhine people.
Rakhine state has been a focal point of clashes since the Arakan Army ended a ceasefire in November following the 2021 coup d’état, with fighting now occurring in 15 of the state’s 17 townships, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
UNOCHA stated that artillery fire and aerial bombardment, including in residential areas, pose grave civilian safety risks, with more than 300,000 people displaced in Rakhine state since November, as reported in a March 14 statement.
Attempts to reach Hla Thein, the junta’s spokesman for Rakhine state, for a response to allegations of civilian-targeted airstrikes went unanswered.
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
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