Myanmar Junta Targets Civilian Areas in New Rakhine State Offensive

The Myanmar military killed 12 civilians and injured 32 others on November 1 during a series of airstrikes across Rakhine State.

Eyewitness photographs sent to The Observers show charred bodies and injured people on Yo Chaung Bridge and near a makeshift maternity clinic in Mrauk-U. A bomb that hit the bridge in Kyauktaw Township at approximately 5:30 p.m. killed seven people and wounded seven. Simultaneously, a strike on a temporary clinic in Mrauk-U killed five people, including a newborn baby, and injured nine others.

These attacks are part of the Yan Naing Min offensive, which the junta launched on September 4 to retake Rakhine State. The military aims to displace the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed organization that controls nearly 90% of the strategically important region. The conflict has escalated since the February 1, 2021 coup that overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. ACLED, a conflict monitoring firm, reported in July 2026 that more than 100,000 people have been killed in the civil war.

The Myanmar military has increasingly used double-tap strikes against civilian targets, a tactic documented by the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. This method involves launching a second attack shortly after the first, often targeting rescue workers. A resident near Ponnagyun described an October 4 incident where two fighter jets made consecutive passes over a displacement camp. They dropped a bomb followed by an incendiary bomb, killing six civilians and injuring eleven. The next morning, the junta struck a different displacement camp in the same area.

Sun Mon, an ACLED analyst based in Myanmar, noted that airstrikes have intensified since Ye Win Oo became commander-in-chief of the armed forces on March 30, 2026. He succeeded Min Aung Hlaing, who led the 2021 coup and became president on April 3, 2026, following a controversial election. Mon stated that the military now deploys multiple fighter jets to strike the same target and relies heavily on double-tap strikes.

The Myanmar Defense & Security Institute reported that airstrikes killed or injured 144 civilians in Rakhine State in September 2026. The deadliest incident occurred on September 28 at India Market and Kissapanadi Bridge, where at least 50 civilians were killed and 58 were injured. Myanmar Witness, a human rights organization, documented 58 airstrikes in September and found that nearly all targeted civilian infrastructure and property. Mon criticized the pattern, stating that the junta targets markets, schools, hospitals, monasteries, and weddings wherever large numbers of people gather.

Volunteers monitor military aircraft takeoffs from bases to issue alerts, as the planes are often undetectable by radar. An administrator for the Witness Enemy Air Scout Telegram channel explained that an unusually loud noise during takeoff indicates the aircraft is carrying bombs. Despite these efforts, internet outages make it difficult to alert residents in time. On the day of the September 28 market attack, the channel issued an alert at 11:08 a.m. for a takeoff from Naypyidaw airbase. A report of an aircraft flying over Kyauktaw at 12:10 p.m. was not published until 12:13 p.m., even though bombs fell between 12:10 and 12:14 p.m.

China, a key ally of the military, is developing transport, mining, and port projects in Rakhine State to secure access to the Indian Ocean. The Arakan Army opposes these plans and has intensified attacks on Kyaukphyu, a coastal town hosting Chinese economic interests. While the junta receives support from Russia and India, the United States has resumed dialogue with it to contain China and access rare earth resources. The European Union was Myanmar's fourth-largest trading partner in 2025. Mon said the international community's ability to support the people of Myanmar is limited because the strategic interests of major powers appear to take priority.