Myanmar Junta Condemned Over Deadly School Bombing in Rakhine

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Myanmar’s military regime is facing fierce condemnation after a devastating airstrike on two private schools in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State, killed 20 students and injured 22 others on 12 September.

The attack, carried out in the early hours by a junta jet dropping two 500-pound bombs, targeted Pyinnya Pan Khinn and Amyin Thit boarding schools in an area controlled by the Arakan Army (AA). The ethnic United League of Arakan (ULA), the AA’s political wing, labelled the strike a war crime and vowed to seek international justice for what it called “heinous acts of mass killing.”

The ULA said the victims were aged between 15 and 21, and that nearby civilian homes were also destroyed. It pledged to submit evidence to global bodies and warned of retaliatory measures against those responsible.

UNICEF joined the chorus of outrage, expressing “extreme concern” and calling for the protection of children and civilian infrastructure. “Children are losing their lives in the very spaces meant to protect them—their homes, schools, and neighbourhoods,” the agency said, urging all parties to uphold international law.

This latest atrocity adds to a grim tally. According to the parallel National Unity Government (NUG), Myanmar’s junta has launched over 3,400 airstrikes since January 2023, killing nearly 3,700 people, including 546 children. The strikes have obliterated hundreds of schools, clinics, and religious sites.

In May, a similar attack using cluster munitions on a school in Sagaing Region killed 22 children and two teachers. The junta denied responsibility, while pro-military voices claimed the site housed “terrorists.”

The Kyauktaw massacre underscores the escalating brutality of Myanmar’s civil conflict, which erupted after the 2021 coup. With large swathes of territory now under rebel control, and elections looming in December, the regime appears increasingly reliant on air power to suppress resistance.

As calls for accountability grow louder, the international community faces renewed pressure to act decisively against a regime accused of targeting its own youth in a war that shows no signs of abating.

-2025-19-16