Like to article : https://apnews.com/article/army-airstrike-private-schools-kyauktaw-rakhine-27430f83358928bb721bfcce698ade71
An alleged airstrike by Myanmar’s military on two private schools has killed at least 18 people. The high schools, Pyinnyar Pan Khinn and A Myin Thit, are located in Thayet Thapin, a village in Myanmar. The military has yet to announce any attack in the area. Khaing Thukha, a speaker for the Arakan Army, told the Associated Press that a fighter jet dropped two bombs on the high schools. The Arakan Army (AA) is a military wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement, but the Myanmar government declared them as a terrorist organization. The airstrike could not be independently confirmed since access to the internet and cellphone service in the village has been mostly cut off.
I think it is interesting that the Associated Press published this article even though the airstrike was not independently confirmed. The article states that Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government in 2021. Many large parts of the country are now involved in conflict. I also find it interesting that the army that took over the government declared the AA a terrorist group. It seems that both groups are terrorist organizations. The country has faced political unrest and internal conflict for a long time. From 1962 – 2011 it was under military rule, and now it is again. Refugees from Myanmar have been seeking safety in neighboring countries, such as Bangladesh and Thailand. The civil war has caused border crises in the region, as well as increased humanitarian issues.
The article said that Myanmar’s military has not addressed the airstrike, showing that they are attempting to downplay or deny the situation. More than 7200 people have been killed by the Myanmar military since 2021, so the government will continue with their physical force and retaliation in the country. The neighboring countries that are seeing an influx of refugees may increase their border control. The Arakan Army is continuing to seek autonomy from Myanmar’s central government, and are more than likely going to reciprocate the violence back to the government. Myanmar is a part of the United Nations, so I believe that the UN is working on peace building and humanitarian aid. Even though the UN is attempting to help, from what I’ve read it seems as though their help has not made any significant changes to the state of the country.
This article connects conflict and violence between state and non-state actors. The conflict has led to increased casualties of Myanmar’s citizens and human rights abuses. The UN has increased aid to the country, but has limited access to military-controlled areas. If most of the country is under military control, where is the aid going? The conflict is partially rooted in religious and ethnic tensions, causing the division between different groups in the country to increase, as well as causing the country to become more politically polarized.