16-5-2024 (YANGON) A Myanmar military airstrike on a medical facility in the strife-torn Rakhine State has left around 20 individuals wounded, according to reports from an ethnic armed group, local residents, and media outlets. The incident, which took place on the 15th of May, has shed further light on the escalating violence in the western region.
Rakhine State has been engulfed in clashes since November when the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group, launched attacks against security forces, effectively shattering a ceasefire that had been largely upheld since the military junta’s coup in 2021. The AA fighters have since seized control of territories, including areas along the borders with India and Bangladesh, compounding the challenges faced by the junta as it grapples with opposition across the Southeast Asian nation.
A resident of Wea Gyi Htaunt village, located near the town of Kyauktaw, recounted the terrifying events of the previous night. “I heard the deafening roar of jet fighters overhead, followed by a series of explosions around midnight,” the individual, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told AFP. “As soon as I realised it was an airstrike, our family fled our home and sought refuge in the nearby woods.”
The resident added, “I’ve heard that tens of people, including outpatients, medical staff, and local villagers, were injured in the attack.”
According to the AA’s Telegram account, at least 20 individuals, comprising outpatients, carers, and staff members, sustained injuries in the attack that occurred shortly after midnight. The group further stated that five of the wounded were in a serious condition, and the clinic itself had been almost entirely destroyed.
Local media outlets have also reported on the strike, with some sources indicating that 15 people were wounded in the incident.
The resident revealed that the AA had previously taken over the operations of the clinic, which was situated near Wea Gyi Htaunt village. They added that the military had repeatedly shelled the area in recent days.
Communication with Rakhine remains extremely difficult, as most mobile networks in the region are currently down.
The AA is one of several armed ethnic minority groups operating in Myanmar’s border regions, many of whom have been engaged in conflicts with the military since the country gained independence from Britain in 1948. These conflicts revolve around issues of autonomy and control over lucrative resources.
The AA claims to be fighting for greater autonomy for the state’s ethnic Rakhine population. According to the United Nations, fighting had spread to 15 of Rakhine State’s 17 townships since the outbreak of violence in November. The UN has also reported that hundreds of people have been killed or wounded, and more than 300,000 have been displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Clashes between the AA and the military in 2019 had previously roiled the region, displacing around 200,000 people. The military’s crackdown on the Rohingya minority in Rakhine State in 2017 is currently the subject of a United Nations genocide court case.
