In the early hours of April 19 at around 3 AM, the military council conducted an aerial bombardment on Kyauktaw town in Rakhine State, resulting in the death of one civilian and injuries to more than twenty others, according to local residents. The military council targeted three different locations within the town, conducting at least four separate bombing runs using more than ten bombs. The areas hit included Pyitawtha Ward, Myothit Ward, and the vicinity of the general hospital.
According to local sources, the military council deliberately conducted the attack while civilians were asleep during the pre-dawn hours, leaving them with no time to escape. Among the casualties were children, though detailed information remains limited due to communication difficulties in the area. Local residents emphasized that there was no active fighting in the area at the time of the bombing, indicating that the military council specifically targeted civilian populations in what they describe as a deliberate attack on non-combatants.
This attack follows a previous aerial assault on Kyauktaw town during the pre-Thingyan period on April 13, when military council fighter jets bombed the area, resulting in injuries to three men and the destruction of five homes. Local residents have characterized these military council airstrikes as constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilian populations. They have called for the international community to take immediate and effective action against the military council. The repeated targeting of civilian areas without military objectives has raised serious concerns about the military council’s conduct and its disregard for civilian lives and international humanitarian law.
