Myanmar: A deadly airstrike by Myanmar’s military on a general hospital in Mrauk-U, western Rakhine state, killed at least 31 people and left 68 others injured, according to an on-ground aid worker on Thursday (December 11, 2025). The attack comes as the junta intensifies its nationwide offensive ahead of elections scheduled to begin later this month.
Conflict monitors say airstrikes have risen sharply each year since the country plunged into civil war following the 2021 military coup that dismantled a decade-long democratic opening. The junta has set polls for December 28, claiming they offer a path toward stability. Rebel groups, however, have vowed to prevent voting in areas under their control.
Eyewitnesses Describe “Terrible” Scene
Aid worker Wai Hun Aung, present during the bombing, said a military jet struck the hospital on Wednesday evening. “The situation is very terrible,” he said. “We can confirm 31 deaths, and the numbers are likely to rise. There are 68 wounded and possibly many more.”
Through the night, at least 20 bodies wrapped in shrouds were seen lying outside the hospital. The junta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rakhine state is largely controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group that has fought the military for years, long before the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government. The AA’s health department said 10 patients were “killed on the spot” when the strike hit at around 9 p.m.
Arakan Army: A Rising Force In The Civil War
The AA (Arakan Army) has become one of the junta’s most formidable opponents, fighting alongside other ethnic militias and pro-democracy resistance groups since the coup. While rebel forces initially struggled, a coordinated offensive by three allied groups in 2023 pushed the military onto the back foot, leading the junta to expand its ranks through conscription.
The AA was part of the “Three Brotherhood Alliance”, but the other two groups have since entered Chinese-brokered truces, leaving the AA as the primary remaining force fighting in the west. Despite international criticism including from the United Nations of the junta-run election process, China has publicly backed the vote, calling it a step toward “restoring social stability” in Myanmar.
Today, conflict trackers say the Arakan Army controls all but three of Rakhine’s 17 townships, though its ambitions remain concentrated within its homeland, bordered by the Bay of Bengal and the mountainous northern frontier.
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