At least 22 civilians were killed and 48 were injured by airstrikes on Chinland and neighboring Arakan State in western Myanmar May 13-15, according to residents and resistance groups.
“The regime has suffered heavy losses on the ground, so they retaliate with airstrikes targeting civilians out of vengeance,” Salai Yaw Man, the spokesperson for the Chin Brotherhood, told DVB.
Two people, including a 13-year-old, were killed when the Myanmar Air Force carried out an airstrike on a village near Mindat, in southern Chinland, on May 15. Mindat, located 72 miles (116 km) south of the state capital Hakha, has been under the control of the Chin Brotherhood since December.
“These airstrikes are part of a wider pattern we’re seeing across Myanmar. Success [for resistance groups] on-the-ground doesn’t translate into peace, because air power continues to devastate civilian populations,” Richard Horsey, the senior Myanmar adviser at International Crisis Group, told DVB.
The strike caused extensive damage to over 40 homes and a school, according to Mindat residents. Salai Yaw Man said that the town has been bombed 13 times since January. He added the regime has been deliberately targeting the 16 towns held by the Chin resistance, which also controls the Myanmar-India border town of Rikhawdar.
The latest town to come under resistance control was Falam, located 68 miles (109 km) north of Hakha, on April 8. The Chin resistance has now set its sights on seizing the three remaining towns under regime control; Hakha, Thantlang and Tedim.
Paletwa Township, 287 miles (461 km) southwest of Hakha, came under Arakan Army (AA) control in January 2024 after it launched an offensive in Arakan and southern Chinland on Nov. 13, 2023.
Twenty civilians were killed and 37 were injured by airstrikes May 13-15 in Rathedaung and Kyauktaw townships, according to residents.
Rathedaung and Kyauktaw are located 40-60 miles (64-96 km) north of the Arakan State capital Sittwe. The two townships were seized by the AA in February and March 2024.
Twelve people were killed in Rathedaung on May 15 and eight others died in Kyauktaw May 14-15.
Fourteen of 17 townships in Arakan are under AA control. Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung remain under regime control. The AA expanded its offensive into neighbouring Ayeyarwady, Bago and Magway regions in December.
Since the devastating March 28 earthquake, at least 456 people have been killed and 995 have been injured in 663 air and artillery strikes carried out by regime forces nationwide with 524 of them since its ceasefire began on April 2, according to DVB data.
“What my office is doing is tracking these attacks very carefully and trying to utilize the data in order to urge parties on the ground to take more measures to protect civilians and also to do public advocacy so people know that these attacks are happening, who is responsible for them, and most importantly, to show that the ceasefire that has been declared is no ceasefire at all,” James Rodehaver, the chief of the U.N. Human Rights Myanmar team, told DVB.
The AA, along with its Brotherhood Alliance co-members the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), declared a unilateral one-month ceasefire on March 30, which was extended from April 30 up to May 31 to allow earthquake relief to continue unhindered.
Despite the ceasefire pledge, 20 children under age 18 and two teachers in their 20s were killed by an airstrike at a school operated by the National Unity Government (NUG) in Ohteintwin Village of Depayin Township, Sagaing Region, on May 12. Depayin is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of the regional capital Monywa.
“On many occasions, the Myanmar military has targeted schools. There have been a countless number of attacks over the last four years that have impacted schools, hospitals, religious sites, all of which receive special protection under international humanitarian law and should not be targeted by military forces,” Rodehaver added.
