Arakan News Agency
The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) has strongly condemned the airstrikes carried out by Myanmar’s military council on civilian areas in Arakan State, calling on the international community to launch an urgent investigation and hold those responsible for the crimes accountable.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the council said that the Myanmar military junta conducted brutal air raids on October 30 and 31 targeting the towns of Ponna Gyun, Kyaukphyu, and Rathedaung in Arakan State, killing more than 10 civilians and destroying homes and property.
The statement stressed that the deliberate aerial bombardment of civilians constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and amounts to war crimes, noting that such acts reflect a systematic pattern of violence practiced by the military institution against the people across the country.
The council added that these crimes are not new against the Rohingya and other communities in Arakan, who have suffered for years from persecution and forced displacement, expressing full solidarity with the families of victims and those affected by the bombings.
The ARNC called on the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to take immediate actions, including conducting an international investigation and prosecuting the perpetrators, imposing sanctions on the Myanmar Air Force and its supporters, providing urgent humanitarian assistance to affected areas, and supporting both the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) to ensure justice.
The statement concluded by affirming that the ARNC will continue to cooperate with democratic forces and ethnic groups to end the suffering of the Myanmar people and achieve peace, justice, and dignity for all communities in the country.
Previously, the Arakan Rohingya National Council had condemned the massacre committed by the Buddhist Arakan militias (Arakan Army) in Tan Shauk Khan village in Buthidaung City, Arakan State, western Myanmar, on May 2, 2024, which resulted in the killing of more than 600 Rohingya, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
