Myanmar Military Airstrike Kills at Least 33 in Rakhine Market

On Monday around midday, a Myanmar military jet released two bombs close to a busy market in Kyauktaw township, Rakhine state; the Arakan Army and a senior rescue official quoted by the Associated Press said 33 people died and 36 were injured. Euronews reported a higher toll of 49 dead and 58 injured.¹²³⁴

Attack on a wholesale hub

The market functioned as the region's main wholesale centre and was struck along with a nearby bridge, which was partially destroyed, according to the Arakan Army and local officials. Photos and video from the scene showed burning buildings and damaged vehicles, and a witness described seeing more than 30 bodies among smouldering wreckage.¹²³⁴

Wai Hun Aung, who holds a senior rescue post in Rakhine, described the bombing to the Associated Press as one of the harshest air raids the state has experienced. "This is one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine," he said. The Arakan Army said the market was situated far from active frontline fighting.³⁶

Among those affected was a market vendor identified by her sister, Khaing Nu, as missing after the strike. "My sister is missing, she was a market vendor," Khaing Nu said.⁵⁸

Conflicting death tolls

Most outlets, including The Hindu, CBC, Al Jazeera, Dawn, OODAloop and The Korea Times, reported at least 33 killed and 36 wounded, figures confirmed by the Arakan Army and Wai Hun Aung. Euronews, however, reported 49 dead and 58 injured, with 22 of the wounded described as critically hurt. The Arakan Army said the toll could still rise.³¹²⁵

Military response and denial

The Myanmar military said it "strikes only legitimate military targets" and has accused resistance groups of terrorism. The Arakan Army said it would "take effective retaliatory measures soon against the individuals and organisations directly responsible for the attacks."¹⁴

Widening conflict in Rakhine

The Arakan Army, described as a well-trained and well-armed force seeking autonomy for Rakhine's ethnic minority, launched an offensive in the state in November 2023. It has since captured a strategically important military headquarters and, according to several outlets, 14 of the state's 17 townships, though CBC disputed this figure. As the conflict has escalated, the armed forces have tightened controls that limit commercial travel routes.¹²³⁴

CBC and Euronews reported that a December military bombing of a hospital in Mrauk-U township left at least 34 dead and 80 injured, while Al Jazeera put the figures at a minimum of 33 fatalities and 70 wounded. Al Jazeera and The Korea Times reported that the ongoing conflict has forced close to 500,000 residents of Rakhine from their homes.¹⁴²⁸

Al Jazeera reported that the UN stated last August that conditions for human rights within Myanmar had reached an unprecedented low point, pointing to severe mistreatment of the Rohingya population. Citing Al Jazeera and Dawn, the fighting that erupted after the armed forces took control on February 1, 2021 is estimated to have claimed over 100,000 lives.²⁵

Background: coup and displacement

CBC reported that the country has remained unstable ever since armed forces removed the democratically chosen administration led by Aung San Suu Kyi during the 2021 takeover. Min Aung Hlaing, the former military government chief, was elected president by a military-backed Parliament in April, Al Jazeera reported. In a separate development, fighting between the military and rebel fighters that started in 2017 pushed large numbers of Rohingya people to seek refuge in Bangladesh and other nations; CBC noted that Myanmar excludes the Rohingya from its list of 135 officially acknowledged ethnic groups, and that nations such as Bangladesh and Malaysia have attempted to send some refugees back.¹²