(David Brunnstrom’s article from The REUTERS on 30 September 2026.)
UN
alarmed by reports that Myanmar air strike killed 50: Smoke rises as fire burns
following a Myanmar military airstrike, according to a rebel group that
controls the area and a local aid worker, in Kyauktaw, Rakhine State, Myanmar,
in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released September 28,
2026.
Sept
29 (Reuters) - The United Nations expressed alarm on Tuesday at reports that an
airstrike by the Myanmar military near the country's border with Bangladesh
had killed 50 people and wounded dozens more, many of them critically.
A UN
spokesperson said continuing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state underscored
that conditions did not currently exist for the safe return of refugees and
other displaced people to Myanmar.
"This latest airstrike brings that reality into sharp focus," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a UN briefing in New York. The secretary-general strongly condemns the attacks and calls on all parties to end the violence immediately, to protect civilians and comply with their obligations under international law," he said, citing UN chief Antonio Guterres.
Monday's
airstrike in Kyauktaw town, which lies on the border with Bangladesh, killed
50 people and wounded at least 58, said the Arakan Army, which is battling
Myanmar's military. The numbers were confirmed by local aid worker Wai Hun
Aung. Women and children were among the bodies recovered on Tuesday, according
to photos shared on social media by Wai Hun Aung.
The
Kyauktaw airstrike is Rakhine's deadliest such attack since a December hospital
bombing that killed at least 30 people. Arakan Army spokesperson Khine Thu Kha
said the military "deliberately targeted densely populated markets,
schools, civilians, and residential buildings through airstrikes."
A
Myanmar government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. The
military has previously said it exercises maximum restraint to avoid civilian
harm. Myanmar has been locked in a nationwide civil war since a 2021 coup, with
an alliance of armed groups, including the Arakan Army, fighting against the
military.
The conflict has since killed around 100,000 people and displaced over 3.5 million in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation. Malaysia deported around 1,500 Myanmar nationals on Tuesday in the first phase of a repatriation plan agreed to with Myanmar that Malaysia says is voluntary but has been condemned by rights groups.
A
statement from the office of UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said the
casualty count from the airstrike was expected to rise. "Reports said
Monday’s strikes occurred during a busy period when large numbers of
civilians were present in and around the market of over 200 shops operated by
members of multiple communities, including Rakhine, Rohingya, Hindu, Daingnet,
and other groups," it said.
Khine
Thu Kha said the Arakan Army would use all available means to retaliate
against the military and anyone involved in the bombing of civilians. Guterres
also urged all parties in the conflict to enable safe, sustained and unimpeded
access for the United Nations and other aid workers to deliver humanitarian
assistance.
