By Peter.
A devastating airstrike by Myanmar’s ruling military junta has targeted the Mrauk-U General Hospital in Rakhine State’s Mrauk-U township, killing at least 31 people—including patients—and injuring over 68 others, according to reports from witnesses, aid workers, and the Arakan Army (AA) rebel group. The attack, which struck late on Wednesday, December 10, 2025 (International Human Rights Day), has been condemned as a potential war crime amid escalating civil war tensions.
What Happened: The Strike and Immediate Aftermath
- Target and Method: A military jet dropped two bombs on the 300-bed facility around 9:00 p.m. local time (1430 GMT), completely destroying the building in a direct hit. The hospital, overflowing with patients due to suspended services elsewhere in Rakhine, was serving civilians in an area under AA control with no recent fighting.
- Casualties: At least 10 patients died on the spot, with the toll expected to rise as more bodies are recovered. Aid worker Wai Hun Aung confirmed 31 deaths and 68 wounded, describing “bodies laid on the ground” amid collapsed roofs and shattered columns. Surviving patients were evacuated to safer sites.
- Eyewitness Accounts: A 23-year-old local rushed to the scene post-explosion, witnessing the carnage. AA spokesperson Khine Thu Kha stated: “The high number of casualties occurred because the hospital took a direct hit.”
Unverified images shared with Reuters show rubble-strewn wards and debris, underscoring the facility’s total ruin.
Broader Context: Civil War Escalation and Pre-Election Offensive
The strike fits a pattern of intensified junta airstrikes since the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, sparking nationwide resistance.
- Rakhine Control: The Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic Rakhine separatist force predating the coup, dominates 14 of 17 townships—larger than Belgium—after breaking a 2023 ceasefire. Mrauk-U, seized last year, saw no clashes recently, raising questions of deliberate civilian targeting.
- Election Shadow: The junta’s December 28 polls—touted as a conflict off-ramp—are rejected by rebels, who vow to disrupt voting in controlled areas. This hospital hit, days before voting, intensifies the offensive to reclaim territory.
- Humanitarian Toll: Rakhine’s blockade has spiked hunger and malnutrition, per the World Food Programme, amid suspended healthcare. The AA labeled it a “fascist war crime” on Telegram, vowing accountability.
International Reaction: Calls for Accountability
- United Nations and Aid Groups: No formal statement yet, but the timing on Human Rights Day amplifies global scrutiny. Previous strikes (e.g., Sagaing tea shop, 18 killed last week) have drawn UN condemnations.
- Regional Echoes: Bangladesh, sharing Rakhine’s border, braces for refugee influxes amid the Rohingya crisis legacy.
This attack, the deadliest hospital strike since the war’s escalation, underscores Myanmar’s spiraling crisis—over 5,000 civilian deaths since 2021, per monitors. As rebels dig in against sham elections, the junta’s aerial hammer risks broader isolation.
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