In a deadly Myanmar military air strike on a hospital on Wednesday evening, more than 30 people were killed, an on-site aid worker informed AFP on Thursday. The fatal attack left 31 dead and 68 injured, just weeks ahead of the elections scheduled for 28 December.
Since the 2021 coup that ended a decade-long democratic experiment, conflict monitors say the junta has increased air strikes year-on-year to consolidate control.
On-site aid worker Wai Hun Aung said, “A military jet bombed the general hospital of Mrauk-U in western Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh, on Wednesday evening."
He added, "The situation is very terrible. As for now, we can confirm there are 31 deaths, and we think there will be more deaths. Also, there are 68 wounded and will be more and more."
According to the AFP report, nearly 20 shrouded bodies were visible on the ground outside the hospital overnight.
A statement from the Arakan Army (AA)'s health department on 10 December said 10 hospital patients were "killed on the spot" in the air strike at around 9:00 pm (1430 GMT).
A junta spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment, said AFP.
All you need to know about the Arakan Army
The Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine minority separatist force, commands control over Rakhine state. Active even before the 2021 military coup that toppled the civilian government of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the AA has become one of the most powerful opposition groups fighting against the military junta. Besides the AA, other ethnic minority fighters and pro-democracy partisans also took up arms after the coup. Initially, scattered rebellious groups struggled for power until a trio led a joint offensive starting in 2023.
The AA is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which spearheaded that offensive.
After Chinese-brokered truces sidelined its allies, the AA remains the most active faction.
China has argued that a military-run election is essential to "restore social stability" in the country, while the United Nations and others have criticised the polls. The AA currently controls three of Rakhine's 17 townships and has proven to be a powerful adversary for the junta, as per conflict monitors.
Notably, the group has also been accused of inflicting atrocities mostly against the Muslim Rohingya, an ethnic minority from the region.
Meanwhile, the military has blockaded Rakhine, contributing to a humanitarian crisis which has seen "a dramatic rise in hunger and malnutrition", the World Food Programme said in August, reported AFP.
