By Shoon Naing
(Reuters) – Dozens of people were killed in an airstrike by Myanmar’s military government in western Rakhine state this week, the United Nations said, as the Southeast Asian civil war entered its fourth year.
The civilian shadow government and the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine-based militia fighting for the region’s autonomy, also said the attack had killed dozens.
The junta struck the village of Kyauk Ni Maw in Yanbye township on Wednesday evening, destroying about 500 houses and killing more than 40 people, according to the National Unity government and a UN statement issued late on Friday.
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports. A spokesman for the military did not return calls seeking comment. The junta rejects accusations of atrocities against civilians, saying it is fighting “terrorists”.
The Arakan Army released the names of 26 Muslim villagers it said were killed and 12 wounded in the attack.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, sparking mass protests that have escalated into a widespread armed insurgency on multiple fronts.
The UN statement urged all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.
The Blood Money Campaign, a coalition of Myanmar activists working to cut off revenue to the junta, urged international governments to quickly impose sanctions on entities that supply it with jet fuel.
“Only when this support stops will the airstrikes really end,” said Mulan, a spokeswoman for the Blood Money Campaign of the same name.