2LT International News

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar – The UN chief has expressed “alarm” about allegations that the Myanmar military is bombing civilian areas.

Antonio Guterres issued a call for calm following allegations that ongoing air assaults on villages in the restive country’s Rakhine state had killed dozens.

Clashes have erupted in the western state since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security troops in November, breaking a ceasefire that has mainly been maintained since the military’s 2021 coup. Residents informed AFP that more than 20 individuals had been slain.

Guterres is “alarmed by reports of ongoing military air strikes, including today in Minbya township that reportedly killed and injured many civilians,” Farhan Haq, the UN secretary-general’s deputy spokesperson, stated.

“The expansion of conflict in Rakhine State is driving displacement and exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities and discrimination,” he told reporters. “The secretary-general calls on all parties to prevent further incitement of communal tensions.”

Minbya settlement is located east of the state capital of Sittwe, which AA fighters have almost completely blocked off in recent weeks.

The air raid hit Thar Dar, a mostly Rohingya village about 5 kilometers (3 miles) north of Minbya, early Monday, killing ten adults, four women, and ten children, according to one resident.

“There was no fighting in our village, and they bombed us,” he explained, requesting anonymity for security reasons.

Another resident, who asked for anonymity, reported the blast killed 23 people and injured 18.
Most mobile networks are down, making communication with the riverine zone exceedingly tricky.

Government troops hold Sittwe, but in recent weeks, AA militants have gained ground in nearby districts.

Fighting has now spread to neighboring India and Bangladesh.

Last month, at least two individuals were killed in Bangladesh when mortar bombs fired from Myanmar during skirmishes fell across the border.

The AA is one of numerous armed ethnic minority groups in Myanmar’s border regions that have fought the military for autonomy and control over valuable resources since the country gained independence from Britain in 1948.