Airstrikes kill 50 civilians in Rakhine State

CSW strongly condemns airstrikes by the Myanmar military on Kyauktaw market and bridge in Rakhine State, which killed at least 50 civilians and wounded nearly 60 others, on 28 September. CSW also fully supports the urgent call issued by the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) for the gathering of evidence for international legal prosecution.

The attack saw a junta fighter jet drop two 500lb bombs on a crowded public market and bridge in Kyauktaw Township. Local accounts describe the bombardment as a ‘man-made hell’, and part of a brutal pattern of airstrikes, artillery attacks, and blockades on essential goods across Rakhine State. Research compiled by the Irrawaddy news website finds that the military regime has killed at least 383 civilians across 21 distinct massacres since major fighting with the Arakan Army resumed in Rakhine State in November 2023.

On 30 September the IIMM issued an urgent appeal requesting witnesses, survivors, and individuals with direct knowledge to submit evidence regarding the Kyauktaw massacre. The mechanism specifically seeks information identifying victims, damaged infrastructure, aircraft, airbases, weapons used, and military personnel or commanders who issued the attack orders.

The military’s ongoing campaign across Rakhine State disproportionately impacts ethnic and religious minorities, including Rakhine ethnic groups and the predominantly Muslim Rohingya community, through systematic human rights violations, targeted destruction of livelihoods, and forced displacement.

CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: ‘The massacre in Kyauktaw is a grave war crime and crime against humanity. We welcome the UN IIMM’s swift intervention to collect evidence for future prosecution. We call on the UN Security Council and ASEAN to assist the IIMM in gathering evidence, digital records, and witness testimonies to hold perpetrators accountable under international law; to immediately block all transfers of weapons, military hardware, and aviation fuel to the junta to halt aerial bombardments on civilians; to expand targeted sanctions against military leaders, state enterprises, and supply chains funding the regime’s war machine; and to partner directly with local civil society and ethnic community networks to deliver emergency aid to displaced populations in Rakhine State.’