Myanmar airstrikes kill at least 26 civilians in Arakan and Sagaing regions

Myanmar's ruling military junta conducted airstrikes that killed at least 26 civilians and wounded 19 others in the country's western and northwestern regions, local media reported Wednesday. The attacks underscore the continuing violence more than four years after the February 2021 coup that ousted the elected government.

Arakan State Attack

In Arakan state, 17 civilians including women and children were killed and 14 others injured when airstrikes hit Yoengu village in Ponnagyun township on Tuesday, according to the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB). The village lies approximately 33 kilometers northeast of Sittwe, the Arakan state capital, which was captured by the Arakan Army ethnic armed group in March 2024. A local resident speaking anonymously told DVB the death toll could rise because some injured are in critical condition. "We are trying to find out the names of the victims," the resident said, adding that at least five houses were destroyed in the strikes.

Sagaing Region Attack

In a separate operation in the northwestern Sagaing region, nine civilians including two children were killed and five wounded in what DVB described as a paramotor strike by the military. A resident of Myinmu township said two paramotors dropped three bombs on a location where villagers were using a Starlink device to access the internet, highlighting the dangers civilians face even in routine activities.

Post-Coup Conflict

Clashes between ethnic armed groups and Myanmar's military have intensified since the 2021 coup that removed Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy government. The takeover plunged the country into more than four years of emergency rule, which officially ended last July. Myanmar held phased elections between December 28 and January 25, though the military maintains control amid ongoing armed resistance. According to rights monitors, more than 6,000 people have been killed and nearly three million displaced in fighting between military authorities and opposition groups since the coup.