Myanmar Airstrike on Rakhine Market Kills 50 as Death Toll Rises

The death toll from a Myanmar military airstrike on a busy market in Kyauktaw town, Rakhine state, rose to 50, with 58 people injured.

Rising Death Toll From Market Airstrike

The death toll from a military airstrike in west Myanmar rose to 50 on Tuesday, two local aid workers at the scene said, the day after it struck a busy market. [1] Witnesses say the military bombed the riverside commercial hub in Kyauktaw town, Rakhine state, around midday on Monday, when the initial death toll was reported at around 30. [1] "The death toll has reached 50, and 58 people were injured," said aid worker Wai Hun Aung, warning the final fatality figure may be higher because some bodies were lost in fires following the bombing. [1] A second local volunteer gave the same death toll, requesting anonymity for security reasons. [3] It has not been possible to contact the Myanmar military for comment on the attack. [2] The Arakan Army earlier on Tuesday said the number of fatalities reached 49 with 58 more wounded, 22 in critical condition. [1] Those killed were "innocent passersby, market vendors, shoppers and cargo loaders," a statement said. [3] The Arakan Army, which controls most of Rakhine, reported the casualties and described the dead as civilians; local aid workers confirmed the toll. [2]

Scene of the Attack in Kyauktaw

Witnesses say the military bombed the riverside commercial hub in Kyauktaw town, Rakhine state, around midday on Monday. [1] The market and adjacent bridge hit in Monday's bombardment had become a hive of trading activity since civil war broke out in Myanmar following a 2021 military coup. [2] Rakhine has suffered some of the direst conditions in the war, largely cut off from the rest of Myanmar, and the market thrived on a river trade route to India, which had become a lifeline. [3] A resident said a fighter jet dropped bombs three times on the market and the bridge. [5] Victims included innocent passersby, market vendors, shoppers and cargo loaders; some bodies were lost in fires after the bombing. [2] The military's air force, using jets from Russia and China, has been accused by rights groups of targeting civilians at schools, monasteries and festivals in attacks that may constitute war crimes. [1]

Families gather amid debris at the site of a deadly Myanmar military airstrike on a Rakhine market. — Source: gdelt The AA control almost all of Rakhine, save for a few urban centres still defended by the military wielding a fleet of fighter jets manufactured by Russia and China. [2] Local media reported that at least 49 people were killed in the airstrike near a market in Kyauktaw town in Rakhine state, with at least 58 injured. [5]

Families Search for Loved Ones

Families searched for bodies on Tuesday around a charred market in western Myanmar after a military airstrike killed 50 people, one of the deadliest recent bombardments in the civil war. [2] Families gathered in the area to claim bodies covered by thin plastic sheeting or boxed up in plywood coffins under an outdoor pavilion. [2] "It breaks my heart to see our people dying," said Aung Chay, still hunting for the remains of his brother-in-law he believes was killed in the attack. [2] "Civilians are being unjustly murdered, and I can't bear to watch it," the 49-year-old said. [2] "I feel deeply pained and incredibly angry." [2] "I don't know where to find his body and whom we should ask for help," said Aung Chay. [2] Smoke rises as fire burns following a Myanmar military airstrike, according to a rebel group that controls the area and a local aid worker, in Kyauktaw, Rakhine State, Myanmar. [2]

Context of Fighting in Rakhine State

The Arakan Army control almost all of Rakhine, save for a few urban centres still defended by the military. [1] The market and adjacent bridge had become a key trading point via a river route to India since the 2021 coup. [3] Rakhine has suffered some of the direst conditions in the war, largely cut off from the rest of Myanmar. [2] The military is eager to regain control of Rakhine, launching an offensive this month which has not yielded battlefield success. [2] Nearly 500,000 people are displaced in Rakhine; more than 100,000 have been killed nationwide in the conflict since the 2021 coup that removed Aung San Suu Kyi's government, according to ACLED. [1] Nearly half a million people are living displaced in Rakhine as a result of the conflict, UN data says. [3] The market thrived on a river trade route to India, which had become a lifeline. [1]

Pattern of Airstrikes and Accusations

Su Mon, a senior analyst at conflict monitor ACLED, said there have been only ten airstrike attacks targeting civilians with more than 30 reported deaths since 2022. [2] "Rakhine experienced the military's mass killings the most," she said. [2] The air wing is also accused of committing atrocities targeting civilians at schools, monasteries and religious festivals — attacks rights groups say may constitute war crimes. [3] The military's air force, using jets from Russia and China, has been accused by rights groups of targeting civilians. [1] Rights groups and other monitors have described such attacks as potential violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes. [5] The Arakan Army described the incident as a serious airstrike in an area under its control and warned of appropriate retaliatory action against the responsible party. [4]

Broader Civil War Toll Since 2021

More than 100,000 people have been killed in Myanmar in conflict since the 2021 putsch unseated Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, according to conflict monitor ACLED. [1] In early 2021, the military seized power from the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. [5] Since then, Myanmar has suffered conflict amid expanding violence, economic decline and continued resistance to military rule. [5] Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh, is largely cut off from the rest of Myanmar due to the civil war. [5] The AA control almost all of Rakhine. [2] Nearly half a million people are living displaced in Rakhine as a result of the conflict, UN data says. [1]

What to watch next: The Arakan Army warned it would take appropriate retaliatory action against those responsible, while the military has not commented on the attack and continues to face accusations over civilian targeting in Rakhine.