Myanmar army air strike kills dozens in Rakhine state

Nearly half a million people are displaced in Rakhine as a result of the conflict between the military and rebel groups.

People walk through smoke and smouldering debris following a Myanmar military airstrike on a market and adjacent bridge in Kyauktaw, Rakhine state, September 28, 2026 [AFP]

An air strike carried out by Myanmar’s military has killed at least 33 people in territory controlled by rebel factions.

The attack near a market in the north of the Rakhine state in the west of the country on Monday also wounded 36 people, rescue and rebel group officials reported. The strikes are the latest in a series of assaults against pro-democracy and ethnic armed groups by the military government, which took power in a coup in 2021, sparking armed opposition.

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The Arakan army said a fighter jet dropped two bombs near a local market in the town of Kyauktaw at noon local time (0530 GMT), killing 33 people, including vendors, shoppers, and pedestrians. It said the death toll “may continue to increase”.

Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, confirmed the details to the Associated Press news agency. He said the market was the region’s main wholesale centre, drawing traders and shoppers from across the state.

“This is one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine,” he said. Photos and videos posted on social media showed buildings on fire, damaged vehicles and parts of a nearby bridge destroyed.

Myanmar’s military did not immediately comment, but it has previously said it strikes only legitimate military targets and accused resistance groups of “terrorism”.

Smoke billows from fires in a residential area following a Myanmar military air attack on a market and adjacent bridge in Kyauktaw, Rakhine state, September 28, 2026 [AFP]

Myanmar has been gripped by ⁠conflict since the elected ⁠government led by Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted in the 2021 coup. A nationwide resistance movement has since evolved into a civil war between the ‌military government and an array of armed ethnic and pro-democracy groups.

President Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s former military government chief, was elected by ‌a military-backed Parliament in April, formalising his grip on power after five years of army rule.

The Arakan army is a well-trained and well-armed military group seeking autonomy for Rakhine’s ethnic minority. It launched an offensive in November 2023 and has since captured strategically important military headquarters and 14 of the state’s 17 townships.

The military has imposed severe restrictions on trade routes to Rakhine since the fighting there intensified, worsening food shortages.

In December, a military airstrike on a hospital in Rakhine’s Mrauk U township killed at least 33 people and wounded 70 others.

Nearly half a million people are displaced in Rakhine as a result of the conflict, according to United Nations data. The UN added in August that the human rights situation in Myanmar has plummeted “to a new low”, citing “brutal abuse” against the Rohingya minority and the devastating impact of illicit economic activity, including illegal mining for rare earth minerals.

Rebel groups and Myanmar’s military are now both using drones in the protracted conflict, which has killed more than 100,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project.

由于军方与反叛团体之间的冲突，若开邦近50万人流离失所。

2026年9月28日，缅甸若开邦皎多市，缅甸军方空袭市场和附近桥梁后，人们走过烟雾和冒烟的废墟。[法新社]

缅甸军方发动的空袭在反叛武装控制区造成至少33人死亡。

周一，在缅甸西部若开邦北部一处市场附近发生的袭击事件还造成36人受伤，救援人员和反叛组织官员报告称。此次袭击是军政府针对亲民主团体和少数民族武装组织的一系列袭击中的最新一起。军政府于2021年通过政变上台，引发了武装反对。

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若开军方称，当地时间中午（格林尼治标准时间05:30），一架战斗机在皎道镇一处市场附近投下两枚炸弹，造成33人死亡，其中包括商贩、购物者和行人。军方表示，死亡人数“可能还会继续上升”。

若开邦高级救援官员韦洪昂向美联社证实了这一消息。他表示，该市场是该地区的主要批发中心，吸引了来自全邦各地的商贩和顾客。

他说：“这是若开邦遭受的最严重的空袭之一。”社交媒体上发布的照片​​和视频显示，建筑物起火，车辆受损，附近一座桥梁的部分桥体被毁。

缅甸军方尚未立即置评，但此前曾表示，其打击目标均为合法军事目标，并指责抵抗组织搞“恐怖主义”。

2026年9月28日，缅甸若开邦皎多市，缅甸军方空袭一处市场及附近桥梁后，居民区燃起大火，浓烟滚滚。[法新社]

自昂山素季领导的民选政府在2021年政变中被推翻以来，缅甸一直深陷冲突之中。一场席卷全国的抵抗运动随后演变为军政府与众多武装民族团体和亲民主团体之间的内战。

缅甸前军政府首脑敏昂莱总统于今年4月由军方支持的议会选举产生，正式巩固了其在五年军政府统治后的权力。

若开军是一支训练有素、装备精良的军事团体，寻求若开邦少数民族的自治。该军于2023年11月发动攻势，此后占领了具有重要战略意义的军事总部以及该邦17个镇区中的14个。

自若开邦战事升级以来，军方对通往若开邦的贸易路线实施了严格限制，导致粮食短缺加剧。

去年12月，若开邦妙乌镇一家医院遭到空袭，造成至少33人死亡，70人受伤。

根据联合国的数据，若开邦近50万人因冲突而流离失所。联合国在8月份补充说，缅甸的人权状况已“跌至新低”，并指出罗兴亚少数族裔遭受“残酷虐待”，以及包括非法开采稀土矿在内的非法经济活动造成了毁灭性影响。

据武装冲突地点和事件数据 (ACLED) 项目称，反叛组织和缅甸军方目前都在这场旷日持久的冲突中使用无人机，这场冲突已造成超过 10 万人死亡。