Thursday, October 1, 2026
HomeBreakingInternational condemnation mounts as death toll in Rakhine State reaches 50

International condemnation mounts as death toll in Rakhine State reaches 50

The remains of 22 people killed during airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Air Force in Kyauktaw Township on Sept. 28 were buried at an undisclosed location in Arakan State by the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), on Tuesday. 

Wai Hun Aung, a humanitarian aid worker in Kyauktaw, stated that the death toll from the airstrikes reached 50 as one man succumbed to his wounds while receiving treatment at a hospital in Kyauktaw on Sept. 29. Out of the 58 injured, 21 are in critical condition, he added. 

“I am appalled by the reports of a military airstrike on a market in Kyauktaw, Rakhine, which has resulted in a significant loss of life. Attacks on civilians are utterly unacceptable, and the UK condemns this devastating attack,” stated Rosie Winterton, the U.K. Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, in a press release on Sept. 29.

Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that the airstrikes in Arakan raised “serious concerns” about the Myanmar military’s respect for international humanitarian law. 

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns these attacks and calls on all parties to end violence immediately to protect civilians and comply with their obligations under international law,” Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, told a press briefing at the U.N. Headquarters in New York on Sept. 29.

Mercy Chriesty Barends, the chairperson of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) and member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives, stated that the regime in Naypyidaw must be held accountable for the crimes it commits against the people of Myanmar.

The Arakan Students’ Union (ASU), which represents all students in Arakan, called airstrikes a “war crime.” Under international law, a war crime constitutes the targeting or killing of civilians.

The AA has seized 14 of Arakan’s 17 townships, alongside Paletwa Township in southern Chin State, since it launched its most recent offensive on Nov. 13, 2023.

The state capital Sittwe, the deep sea port of Kyaukphyu, and the island of Manaung remain under regime control. Sittwe and Kyaukphyu have been contested by the AA since February 2025. 

At least 93 people have been killed and 254 others have been injured in 133 aerial attacks, including airstrikes, drone, paramotor and gyrocopter attacks, since March 30. 

Explore our Data Behind Myanmar’s Massacres

Explore our Airstrikes Dashboard

RELATED ARTICLES
Contact