The Institute of Chin Affairs (ICA) reported that at least 115 Chin resistance fighters have been killed in airstrikes in Chin State over nearly five years of armed struggle following the junta’s coup.
“We faced the most enemy airstrikes during our town-capture operations, especially in Falam and Mindat. Those attacks caused casualties among our comrades. We don’t have enough information to give an exact number of the injured. Resistance forces usually release the death toll, but they rarely reveal the number of wounded fighters, only civilian casualties are made public. That makes it difficult for us to collect complete data,” a spokesperson for the ICA said.
From the 2021 coup to October 2025, the junta carried out at least 252 airstrikes and dropped 2,350 bombs in Chin State, according to the ICA’s November 14 statement. The airstrikes killed 115 Chin resistance fighters and 135 civilians, and injured 835 civilians. More than 1,100 homes, 81 religious buildings, and over 90 government and administrative buildings were destroyed, the ICA reported.
The ICA added that beyond Chin State, the junta also carried out at least 80 airstrikes and dropped more than 500 bombs over nearly five years in Chin-majority areas of the Sagaing and Magway regions and in Arakan (Rakhine) State, killing 16 resistance fighters. These airstrikes outside Chin State killed around 100 Chin civilians and injured 243, and reportedly destroyed 1,074 homes, 15 religious buildings, and 11 government buildings.
“In an armed conflict, airstrikes between armed groups can be expected. But the junta keeps crossing the line. A clear example is the recent airstrike on a wedding. The coup regime has also bombed schools and churches in the past. Its targets are usually places with more civilians than resistance fighters. In fact, it knows where the resistance forces are positioned but still chooses to hit civilian areas. This shows a pattern, almost an addiction to deliberately attacking civilians,” the ICA spokesperson added.
In October, the junta conducted 13 airstrikes in Chin State, killing seven civilians and three resistance fighters, and injuring 25 civilians.
Of the 330 airstrikes the junta carried out in Chin State and Chin-majority areas outside the state, Mindat Township was hit the most, with over 100 strikes. Falam Township experienced just over 30 airstrikes, but the number of bombs dropped there reached as many as 1,350.
The ICA explained that when the junta carries out airstrikes in an area of active fighting, even if it conducts 10 consecutive bombing runs, it is counted as a single airstrike in this list.
Overall, at least 1,127 Chin people have been killed in various forms of arbitrary and deliberate attacks by the junta inside and outside Chin State since the coup, including over 130 resistance fighters and 235 civilians killed in airstrikes.
The ICA has alleged that the junta has repeatedly violated international humanitarian laws and ethical norms, with its actions amounting to war crimes under international laws.
