Myanmar: UN Chief Condemns Airstrikes in Rakhine and Kayah That Hit Maternity Clinic and School
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said through his spokesperson on November 2 that he is deeply concerned by, and strongly condemns, Myanmar military airstrikes over the weekend in Rakhine and Kayah states that reportedly killed at least a dozen civilians, including children, and wounded many more, hitting civilian infrastructure including a maternity clinic, a school and a bridge. He called on all parties to end hostilities immediately, protect civilians, comply with international humanitarian law and hold the perpetrators to account.
According to an Arakan Army spokesperson and an aid worker, Sunday's strikes hit four townships in Rakhine: a bridge in Kyauktaw, locations in Kyaukpyu and Pauktaw, and a makeshift clinic and maternity ward in Arakan Army-held Mrauk-U, killing at least 12 people and wounding 32. A day earlier, an airstrike on a school in Loikaw, Kayah state, during classes killed three students and wounded five; the Karenni Human Rights Group said a Y-12 transport aircraft and a fighter jet dropped more than 20 bombs and that there were no military movements or clashes in the area.
Myanmar has been in civil war since the 2021 coup; the United Nations estimates the conflict has killed 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million. UN investigators accused Myanmar's military in August of deliberate aerial attacks on civilian buildings including schools and hospitals. Thailand's government said the conflict has spilled over the border, damaging homes and injuring at least one person on the Thai side, Thai fighter jets are conducting air patrols, and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Bangkok has urged Myanmar to exercise caution.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：缅甸若开邦妙乌古城（资料图），Go-Myanmar.com 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 3.0 授权 / Photo: Mrauk-U in Rakhine State, Myanmar (file photo), by Go-Myanmar.com, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
