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 country’s civil war entered its fourth year.
The civilian shadow government and the Arakan Army, a Rakhine-based ethnic militia fighting for the region’s autonomy, also reported dozens killed in the attack.
The junta hit the village of Kyauk Ni Maw in Yanbye Municipality on Wednesday afternoon, destroying about 500 homes and killing more than 40 people, according to the Government of National Unity and a UN statement issued late on Friday.
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports. An Army spokesman did not return phone calls seeking comment. The junta rejects accusations of committing crimes against civilians, saying it is fighting “terrorists”.
The Arakan Army released the names of 26 Muslim villagers it said were killed and 12 injured 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 calls on all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.
The Blood Money Campaign, a coalition of Myanmar activists working to deny the junta revenue, called on international governments to quickly sanction entities that supply it with jet fuel.
“Only when this support stops will the airstrikes truly stop,” said Mulan, a spokesman for the Blood Money Campaign, which goes by one name.
