Junta airstrikes have increasingly targeted clinics and hospitals in Arkan (Rakhine) State, heightening concerns and creating insecurity among health workers, patients, caregivers, and those seeking healthcare.
The junta’s attacks have also made some patients who need essential treatment wary of going to hospital.
Kyauktaw Hospital in Kyauktaw Township was hit by a junta airstrike on 11 January 2025. It injured several patients and staff and destroyed an inpatient ward, the outpatient department, the medicine warehouse and staff housing.
A woman from Kyauktaw Township who was at the hospital at the time of the airstrike said: “I was at the hospital caring for a patient when a bomb exploded nearby, and debris struck us. My patient and I ran desperately to find safety. Some patients were injured by shattered glass. In such a situation, it’s understandable that even those who are unwell would hesitate to return to the hospital.”
In a similar incident, on 3 January, a junta airstrike on Kantaunggyi Town in Myebon Township, Arakan State, damaged a hospital and a school, and killed an elderly woman.
A healthcare worker from Arakan State said to DMG: “Working in the hospital has felt increasingly unsafe lately. We are constantly anxious, wondering when the next bomb will fall. The sound of planes sends us into a panic. With patients relying on us, we also have to be concerned for their safety.”
There are also allegations that the junta is deliberately targeting non-military civilian areas such as hospitals and clinics to instil fear in the local population, a clear human rights violation.
A human rights activist from Arakan State said: “The junta has started targeting hospitals and clinics, which is an inhumane and unethical violation of human rights. These vile attacks are putting the safety of healthcare workers and patients at great risk. In the face of setbacks on many frontlines, the junta is holding a grudge against the population and committing brutal human rights violations.”
According to a 14 November 2024 statement by the Arakan Army (AA), at that time, a year after fighting had restarted in Arakan State, the junta had destroyed 12 hospitals and clinics in the Arakan State townships of Minbya, Mrauk-U, Thandwe, Maungdaw, Myebon, and Kyauktaw.
Currently, the junta is escalating airstrikes on AA-controlled towns and villages which is increasing civilian casualties and making people feel anxious and insecure.
Junta airstrikes in Arakan State between 1 and 13 January 2025 killed 42 civilians and injured a further 55.
