Junta airstrikes put children’s survival at risk in Arakan State

By Admin 23 Apr 2026

DMG Newsroom

23 April 2026, Mrauk-U

As the regime intensifies its airstrikes across Arakan State, civilian casualties continue to rise, with a significant increase in the number of children affected.

According to DMG figures, 35 children have been killed or injured by the regime’s airstrikes in Arakan State between January and April 2026.

Parents said children are suffering from severe physical and psychological trauma amid ongoing aerial threats, which have become a major challenge to their survival and future.

"I was not at home when the aerial bombing started. As soon as I heard the explosion, I ran back, worrying about my children. I cannot even describe how terrified they must have been. My children had fevers all night after the attack," said Daw Win Win from Kyaukselpyin Village in Mrauk-U Township.

In the April 19 bombing of Kyaukselpyin Village, 13 people, including two children, were injured, and a monastery was burned to the ground.

Villagers reported that since the incident, children in the village have become distressed and lose their composure whenever they hear the sound of aircraft.

The regime has recently begun conducting bombings using groups of aircraft, deliberately targeting non-military sites such as residential areas, monasteries, schools, and clinics.

"Now that they are bombing in groups, the death toll is very high, and many of the victims are children. We still haven't found a solution to address the psychological trauma of these children. Some are even too afraid to play freely anymore. These airstrikes are destroying both the minds and lives of children," said a female social activist in Arakan State.

Due to the bombings, children are enduring both mental and physical harm, forced to live their daily lives in a constant state of alarm and fear.

Children in conflict zones remain unprotected and are being deprived of their basic legal rights, including the right to survival, security, and access to education, due to the war crimes committed by the regime.