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Myanmar junta bombs hospital in Rakhine, kills 33 civilians

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Key Developments
  • ▸Myanmar's military bombed the general hospital in Mrauk-U township, Rakhine State, on the evening of December 10, 2025, dropping at least two bombs, according to multiple media reports cited by Amnesty International. The Arakan Army's political wing said 33 civilians were killed, including a baby, and about 80 people were injured.
  • ▸Amnesty International's Evidence Lab verified footage of the damage and confirmed it is consistent with an airstrike. Operating rooms and the main inpatient ward were completely destroyed, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
  • ▸Myanmar's military acknowledged the strike in a statement published by the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, claiming armed groups including the Arakan Army and People's Defense Force were using the hospital as their base and that it conducted a 'counterterrorism operation' against it.
  • ▸The United Nations condemned the attack, with UN rights chief Volker Türk saying it 'may amount to a war crime' and demanding an investigation. The WHO chief said he was 'appalled' and that the attack would disrupt healthcare access for entire communities.
  • ▸Following the hospital strike, the Arakan Army reported the junta launched a series of additional night-time airstrikes on five towns in Rakhine State, killing at least eight more civilians and wounding ten others, according to the group.

Myanmar junta bombs hospital in Rakhine, kills 33 civilians

Confidence: HIGH (82/100)  |  April 06, 2026  | 

Myanmar junta bombs hospital in Rakhine, kills 33 civilians aljazeera.com

In one sentence: Myanmar's military bombed Mrauk-U General Hospital on December 10, 2025, killing 33 civilians including a baby, with footage verified by Amnesty International's Evidence Lab confirming an airstrike.

Why it matters: The strike hit a protected medical facility on International Human Rights Day, with the WHO chief warning it will disrupt healthcare access for entire communities. The UN says it is part of a broader, documented pattern of junta strikes on civilian infrastructure that rights groups call war crimes. With 2025 already the deadliest year for aerial attacks since the 2021 coup, the incident intensifies calls for a global arms and jet-fuel embargo on the junta.

What Happened Today

  • Myanmar's military bombed the general hospital in Mrauk-U township, Rakhine State, on the evening of December 10, 2025, dropping at least two bombs, according to multiple media reports cited by Amnesty International. The Arakan Army's political wing said 33 civilians were killed, including a baby, and about 80 people were injured.
  • Amnesty International's Evidence Lab verified footage of the damage and confirmed it is consistent with an airstrike. Operating rooms and the main inpatient ward were completely destroyed, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
  • Myanmar's military acknowledged the strike in a statement published by the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, claiming armed groups including the Arakan Army and People's Defense Force were using the hospital as their base and that it conducted a 'counterterrorism operation' against it.
  • The United Nations condemned the attack, with UN rights chief Volker Türk saying it 'may amount to a war crime' and demanding an investigation. The WHO chief said he was 'appalled' and that the attack would disrupt healthcare access for entire communities.
  • Following the hospital strike, the Arakan Army reported the junta launched a series of additional night-time airstrikes on five towns in Rakhine State, killing at least eight more civilians and wounding ten others, according to the group.

Contested Claims

  • Amnesty International, UN, WHO, Arakan Army political wing, witnesses cited by AP and Al Jazeera: The 33 people killed were civilians — including patients, medical staff, and children — at a functioning hospital. Witnesses, aid workers, the Arakan Army, the United Nations, and the WHO all confirm civilian casualties at a protected medical facility. Myanmar military information office, via state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper: The military says armed groups — the Arakan Army and People's Defense Force — used the hospital as their base, and that it carried out a necessary security and counterterrorism operation; it denies the victims were innocent civilians.

Unverified / Single Source

  • (Unverified — Not independently corroborated by a named primary source; Amnesty references media reports without identifying a specific outlet) Two bombs were dropped on the hospital during the December 10 strike. [Multiple media reports cited by Amnesty International]

Key Figures

MetricValueSource
Civilians killed in the Mrauk-U hospital airstrike33, including a babyArakan Army political wing, confirmed by Amnesty International, WHO, and Al Jazeera
People injured in the hospital airstrikeApproximately 80Arakan Army political wing, cited by Amnesty International
Aviation fuel imported into Myanmar in 2025At least 109,604 metric tonnes — a 69% increase from 2024 and the highest since the 2021 coupMyanmar Port Authority data, cited by Amnesty International investigation (January 2026)
People internally displaced by Myanmar military abuses and fightingAt least 3.6 millionAmnesty International / Human Rights Watch joint report, January 2026
People facing acute food insecurity in MyanmarOver 15 million, with Rakhine State especially impactedAmnesty International / Human Rights Watch joint report, January 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Myanmar's military bomb a hospital? The junta claimed in a state media statement that armed resistance groups — the Arakan Army and People's Defense Force — were using Mrauk-U General Hospital as a base, framing the strike as a counterterrorism operation. The UN, WHO, witnesses, and aid workers all reject this, saying the dead were patients, medical staff, and family members at a functioning medical facility.

Who controls Mrauk-U and Rakhine State? The Arakan Army, the armed wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement seeking autonomy from Myanmar's central government, captured Mrauk-U in February 2024 and now controls 14 of Rakhine's 17 townships. The junta has responded with a military blockade and sustained airstrikes across the state.

What international action has been taken against Myanmar's military over airstrikes? The UN rights chief demanded an investigation and said the hospital attack may constitute a war crime. The ICC prosecutor requested an arrest warrant in November 2024 for junta chief Min Aung Hlaing for pre-coup crimes against humanity; no public decision has been issued. Amnesty International and others are pressing the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar's full situation to the ICC and to impose a global arms and jet-fuel embargo.

Background

Myanmar has been in civil war since the military seized power in February 2021, triggering a nationwide armed resistance by ethnic minority groups and pro-democracy militias. The junta has increasingly relied on airstrikes — hitting hospitals, schools, religious sites, and displacement camps — with 2025 marking the deadliest year for aerial attacks since the coup. Rakhine State, almost entirely controlled by the Arakan Army since early 2024, has been under blockade and sustained bombardment, trapping Rohingya and Rakhine civilians in the crossfire.

Sources

Myanmar junta bombs hospital in Rakhine, kills 33 civilians
Image via aljazeera.com
Source Verification
✓ Verified Facts
  • ✓Myanmar's military bombed the general hospital in Mrauk-U township, Rakhine State, on the evening of December 10, 2025, dropping at least two bombs, according to multiple media reports cited by Amnesty International. The Arakan Army's political wing said 33 civilians were killed, including a baby, and about 80 people were injured.
  • ✓Amnesty International's Evidence Lab verified footage of the damage and confirmed it is consistent with an airstrike. Operating rooms and the main inpatient ward were completely destroyed, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
  • ✓Myanmar's military acknowledged the strike in a statement published by the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, claiming armed groups including the Arakan Army and People's Defense Force were using the hospital as their base and that it conducted a 'counterterrorism operation' against it.
  • ✓The United Nations condemned the attack, with UN rights chief Volker Türk saying it 'may amount to a war crime' and demanding an investigation. The WHO chief said he was 'appalled' and that the attack would disrupt healthcare access for entire communities.
  • ✓Following the hospital strike, the Arakan Army reported the junta launched a series of additional night-time airstrikes on five towns in Rakhine State, killing at least eight more civilians and wounding ten others, according to the group.
⚠ Disputed Claims
  • ⚠
    Amnesty International, UN, WHO, Arakan Army political wing, witnesses cited by AP and Al Jazeera
    The 33 people killed were civilians — including patients, medical staff, and children — at a functioning hospital. Witnesses, aid workers, the Arakan Army, the United Nations, and the WHO all confirm civilian casualties at a protected medical facility.
    vs
    Myanmar military information office, via state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper
    The military says armed groups — the Arakan Army and People's Defense Force — used the hospital as their base, and that it carried out a necessary security and counterterrorism operation; it denies the victims were innocent civilians.
○ Unconfirmed
  • ○
    Two bombs were dropped on the hospital during the December 10 strike.(Multiple media reports cited by Amnesty International)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Myanmar's military bomb a hospital?
The junta claimed in a state media statement that armed resistance groups — the Arakan Army and People's Defense Force — were using Mrauk-U General Hospital as a base, framing the strike as a counterterrorism operation. The UN, WHO, witnesses, and aid workers all reject this, saying the dead were patients, medical staff, and family members at a functioning medical facility.
Who controls Mrauk-U and Rakhine State?
The Arakan Army, the armed wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement seeking autonomy from Myanmar's central government, captured Mrauk-U in February 2024 and now controls 14 of Rakhine's 17 townships. The junta has responded with a military blockade and sustained airstrikes across the state.
What international action has been taken against Myanmar's military over airstrikes?
The UN rights chief demanded an investigation and said the hospital attack may constitute a war crime. The ICC prosecutor requested an arrest warrant in November 2024 for junta chief Min Aung Hlaing for pre-coup crimes against humanity; no public decision has been issued. Amnesty International and others are pressing the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar's full situation to the ICC and to impose a global arms and jet-fuel embargo.