In a devastating escalation of Myanmar’s ongoing civil conflict, a military airstrike has obliterated a critical hospital in Rakhine State, resulting in substantial casualties among patients and medical personnel. The assault occurred Wednesday evening in Mrauk-U township, an area under the control of the ethnic Arakan Army rebel force.
According to verified reports from rescue workers and independent media outlets, the aerial bombardment killed 34 individuals—17 women and 17 men—while injuring approximately 80 others. Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue services official in Rakhine, confirmed that a jet fighter deployed two bombs at 9:13 p.m., with one striking the hospital’s recovery ward and another landing adjacent to the main building. The attack reduced most of the medical facility to rubble and damaged nearby vehicles.
This hospital had served as a vital healthcare lifeline for local communities after most medical facilities in Rakhine shuttered due to prolonged conflict. Doctors had recently regrouped in Mrauk-U to restore essential medical services when the strike occurred.
The military junta that seized power in Myanmar’s 2021 coup has remained silent regarding the attack. Meanwhile, the shadow National Unity Government—formed by lawmakers barred from office—has strongly condemned the assault and called for international intervention to pressure the military regime.
The Arakan Army, which captured Mrauk-U in February 2024, represents the armed wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority seeking autonomy from Myanmar’s central government. Their November 2023 offensive has secured 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships, including a strategically significant regional army headquarters.
This incident occurs against the backdrop of planned December 28 elections, which opposition groups decry as an attempt to legitimize military rule. The junta has intensified airstrikes against pro-democracy forces ahead of the polls, deepening Myanmar’s political crisis that began with the 2021 power grab.