At least 34 people have been killed and dozens injured after air strikes from Myanmar’s military hit a hospital in Mrauk-U town, Rakhine state, on Wednesday night.

The attack comes as the country faces intensified conflict between the junta and ethnic armies ahead of its first post-coup elections.

The hospital, located in an area controlled by the Arakan Army, suffered significant damage during the strike. According to the Arakan Army health department, 10 patients were killed instantly, with many others critically injured.

Spokesperson Khaing Thukha described the attack as a “vicious assault targeting civilian places”, demanding that the military take responsibility for bombing civilians.

Social media posts from the scene show collapsed roofs, broken hospital beds, and debris scattered across the compound, highlighting the devastation.

Context of the conflict

Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since the military seized power in 2021, resulting in thousands of deaths and millions displaced.

In recent months, the junta has intensified air strikes to reclaim territory from ethnic armies and deployed motorized paragliders to drop bombs on opposition targets. Earlier this year, more than 20 people were killed when a military paraglider targeted a religious festival.

The junta has also received advanced military equipment from China and Russia, helping it regain ground in several regions.

Political tensions

The attacks come just weeks before Myanmar’s general election on 28 December, which the junta promotes as a step toward stability.

Critics, including UN human rights expert Tom Andrews, have dismissed the vote as a “sham election”, pointing to arrests of political dissidents, activists, and anti-junta campaigners.

Opposition groups, including ethnic armies, have vowed to boycott the polls, further undermining the legitimacy of the election. Recent reports also indicate detentions of election candidates in central regions like Magway.