A Myanmar military airstrike on a medical clinic wounded around 20 people in western Rakhine state on May 15, according to an ethnic armed group, a resident and local media.
Clashes have rocked Rakhine since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since a military junta’s coup in 2021.
AA fighters have captured territory, including along the borders with India and Bangladesh, further increasing pressure on the junta as it battles opponents elsewhere in the Southeast Asian country.
“I heard a very loud noise of fighter jets flying last night and then I heard explosions around midnight,” said a resident of Wea Gyi Htaunt village, near Kyauktaw town. AFP.
“As soon as I knew it was an airstrike, our family fled our house and hid in the forest,” she said, speaking on anonymity for security reasons.
“I heard that dozens of outpatients, medical staff and local villagers were injured.”
At least 20 people, including outpatients, carers and staff, were injured in the attack which took place shortly after midnight, the AA said on its Telegram account.
Five of them were seriously injured and the clinic was almost completely destroyed, the report said.
Local media also reported the strike, saying 15 people had been injured.
The resident said the AA had previously taken over the running of the clinic, located near Wea Gyi Htaunt.
The army has shelled the area repeatedly in recent days, she said.
Communication with Rakhine is extremely difficult as most mobile networks are down.
AFP the junta has asked for comment.
The AA is one of several armed ethnic minority groups in Myanmar’s border areas, many of whom have battled the military over autonomy and control over lucrative resources since independence from Britain in 1948.
The AA claims to be fighting for greater autonomy for the state’s ethnic Rakhine population.
Fighting had spread to 15 of Rakhine state’s 17 townships since the outbreak in November, the UN human rights chief said last month.
Hundreds of people have been killed or injured and more than 300,000 people have been displaced, the report said.
Clashes between the AA and the military in 2019 roiled the region and displaced around 200,000 people.
The military launched a crackdown on the Rohingya minority there in 2017, which is now the subject of a genocide lawsuit at the United Nations.
