Myanmar Market Airstrikes Kill at Least 50 as UN Urges Malaysia to Halt Deportations

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk deplored the attack on Tuesday, saying it raised serious concerns about compliance with international humanitarian law.

A busy market in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine State became the scene of one of the region's deadliest reported military attacks since the February 2021 coup, with airstrikes on Monday reportedly killing at least 50 people and injuring at least 58. Vendors, customers, transport workers, women and children were among those killed in Kyauktaw township, where the military reportedly struck around midday as large numbers of civilians gathered to buy, sell and travel through the area. The casualty count is expected to rise, adding to the suffering of communities already living with widespread violence and abuse.

A market serving several communities comes under attack

The market had more than 200 shops operated by people from several communities, including Rakhine, Rohingya, Hindu and Daingnet, making the attack a devastating blow to a place used by people from different backgrounds to earn a living and meet their daily needs. Reports placed the strikes during a busy trading period, with civilians present inside the market and in the surrounding area. The reported deaths of shopkeepers, shoppers and transport workers show how an ordinary trip to work or to purchase supplies became part of the country's mounting civilian toll.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk deplored the attack on Tuesday, saying it raised serious concerns about compliance with international humanitarian law. He reminded the warring parties that their conduct must respect the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack, rules intended to protect civilians during armed conflict. His remarks put the reported market strike within the wider suffering across Myanmar, with Rakhine facing particularly grave conditions after years of extreme violence and pervasive human rights violations.

Civilians face abuse beyond the airstrikes

Türk pointed to continuing reports of arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, enforced disappearance, forced labour and forced recruitment, describing threats that reach into many parts of civilian life. Rohingya communities have been particularly affected by abuses attributed to both the military and the Arakan Army. For people facing these dangers, the threat extends beyond any single attack to the possibility of detention, exploitation or violence, helping explain why so many have fled Myanmar in search of protection abroad.

UN calls on Malaysia to stop planned deportations

The Kyauktaw attack took place just hours before Malaysia began implementing a plan to deport some 5,000 Myanmar nationals, prompting Türk to call for an immediate halt to the process. He has repeatedly urged countries not to deport anyone to Myanmar because of the severity of conditions there, warning that people sent back could face the same violence and abuses they had escaped. "There can be little doubt as to what awaits many returnees," he said, questioning whether returns under such circumstances could genuinely be considered voluntary when conditions remain far from safe and sustainable.

Türk's appeal invoked the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits states under international law from returning people to places where they face persecution, torture, serious harm or other serious human rights violations. He called on other countries to help nations hosting refugees, including Bangladesh and Malaysia, by supporting alternative solutions for people unable to return safely. The hundreds of thousands who have fled Myanmar in fear for their lives, he said, must receive protection and proper consideration of their fundamental rights to seek asylum and protection abroad.