This hospital acted as the main healthcare hub for Rakhine residents amid widespread closures of facilities due to relentless conflict. Doctors had recently revived operations in the Arakan Army-controlled township, seized in February last year, to offer vital services in the devastated area.
A devastating nighttime airstrike by Myanmar’s military on a hospital in rebel-controlled Mrauk-U township has claimed 34 lives, including patients and medical staff, while injuring around 80 others. The attack, which occurred on Wednesday (December 10), has drawn widespread condemnation amid the country’s escalating civil war.
Details of the deadly strike
The assault took place at 9:13 pm when a jet fighter dropped two bombs on the general hospital in Mrauk-U, Rakhine state. One bomb struck the recovery ward directly, while the second landed near the main building, causing extensive destruction. Rescue official Wai Hun Aung reported 17 women and 17 men among the dead upon arriving Thursday morning (December 11). Nearby taxis and motorbikes were also damaged, with photos and videos from local media showing rubble-strewn debris and wrecked medical equipment.
Critical role of the targeted hospital
This facility served as the primary healthcare provider for Rakhine residents, where most hospitals have shuttered due to ongoing conflict. Doctors had recently reopened it in the township, captured by the Arakan Army (AA) in February last year, to deliver essential services to the war-torn region. The loss leaves a major gap in medical access for locals.
Arakan Army’s control and regional tensions
Mrauk-U lies 530 km northwest of Yangon in an area dominated by the AA, the armed wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority seeking greater autonomy. Since launching its offensive in November 2023, the AA has captured a key army headquarters and 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships. The state remains scarred by 2017 ethnic violence that displaced 740,000 Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh, fueling persistent Buddhist-Rakhine and Rohingya tensions.
Broader conflict and international reaction
Myanmar’s military junta, in power since the 2021 coup, has intensified airstrikes against pro-democracy forces like the People’s Defence Force ahead of sham December 28 elections criticised as illegitimate. The shadow National Unity Government, formed by ousted lawmakers, condemned the hospital bombing and called for global pressure to halt atrocities, prosecute perpetrators, and deliver aid. The strike underscores the deepening turmoil, with armed resistance controlling swathes of territory.
