Villagers in Nat Chaung Village, Mrauk-U Township collectively digging reservoir to ensure sufficient drinking water
AB News – May 20, 2026
Residents of Nat Chaung Village in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, are collectively carrying out the excavation and renovation of a drinking water reservoir through a self-help community system in order to solve water shortages and ensure adequate water supply during the summer season.
The reservoir excavation project is being implemented under the leadership of the Natchaung Youth Association (NYA), with support from village donors as well as donors from nearby and distant areas.
During the project period, villagers of all ages from across the entire community have united to contribute voluntary labor. In addition, residents from neighboring Jin Che village have also joined the effort by providing manpower and assistance.
According to the local youth organization, by the third day of operations, the community had been working together in unity using both machinery and manual labor to remove sediment from the reservoir, systematically repair the embankments, and expand the size of the water pond.
A responsible person from Nat Chaung Village said:
“We are collectively digging and restoring our village drinking water reservoir with the participation of both elders and youth from the entire village. Nat Chaung natives living far away and various donors have also contributed in different ways, which makes all of us very happy. By being able to restore this reservoir, not only our village but also nearby villages will have improved access to drinking water in the coming summers.”
Local residents noted that due to climate change, rural areas frequently face drinking water shortages every year. They added that this kind of united, self-reliant community initiative serves as an exemplary model for other villages to follow.
Photo: Natchaung Youth Association (NYA).
Nearly 60 homes destroyed by fire in Sane Town due to artillery shelling from Taung Maw Gyi naval base
AB News – May 20, 2026
Nearly 60 civilian homes in Sane Town, Kyaukphyu Township, Rakhine State, were destroyed by fire at around 2:40 p.m. on May 19 due to continuous artillery shelling from the military junta’s Taung Maw Gyi naval base, according to local residents.
Investigations indicate that 57 civilian houses in Shwe Hintha Ward of Sane Town were damaged as a result of the repeated shelling from the Taung Maw Gyi naval base.
A resident whose home was destroyed in the fire told AB News that the junta navy carried out nonstop artillery attacks on Sane Town throughout the day, causing shells to land and explode inside the town and ignite residential buildings.
“Yesterday, throughout the entire day, the Taung Maw Gyi naval base carried out artillery attacks. Artillery shells landed and exploded inside Sane Town, causing around 60 homes to burn down,” the resident said.
At present, the details regarding civilian casualties or injuries caused by the shelling remain unclear. Residents whose homes were destroyed by fire are reportedly fleeing to safer areas.
Since May 10, intense fighting has continued between junta forces and the Arakan Army (AA) in Kyaukphyu Township. Reports indicate that junta forces have been carrying out artillery attacks and airstrikes with jet fighters targeting towns and villages where civilians reside.
Local residents have also criticized junta forces stationed in Kyaukphyu Township, saying they frequently target civilian villages and urban wards with artillery fire whenever they face military setbacks or conduct military operations.
Photo caption: Homes burning in Sane Town following artillery shelling by the Taung Maw Gyi naval base on May 19.
More than 160 civilians killed and over 20 injured in Rakhine over four years due to attacks by Muslim armed groups
AB News – May 20, 2026
In Rakhine State, from November 2023 to February 2026, attacks carried out by extremist Islamist Muslim armed groups resulted in the deaths of 162 civilians, injuries to 22 others, and the disappearance of around 30 civilians, according to a survey released by the Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office (HDCO).
Among those affected by the violence committed by extremist Islamist Muslim armed groups were 137 ethnic Rakhine civilians, 35 Muslims, 34 Hindus, 13 Khami people, 6 Mro people, and 4 Daingnet individuals, according to the report.
The HDCO survey further documented the circumstances of the killings, including:
11 people burned alive,
9 shot dead inside their homes,
9 arrested and killed within villages,
3 intercepted and killed while traveling,
39 arrested and executed,
32 killed while traveling,
12 arrested and killed while carrying out livelihood activities,
and 43 cases where the details could not yet be documented.
Although ethnic Rakhine people made up the highest percentage of victims, the figures indicate that religiously motivated violence has also affected other minority ethnic communities.
The report also referenced the August 25, 2017 mass killings of Hindu villagers in the Kha Maung Seik area of Maungdaw Township by the extremist Islamist group ARSA, allegedly as part of an effort to establish a “Muslim-only zone,” according to records from Amnesty International.
In addition, reports stated that Hindu women and girls were taken to Bangladesh, forcibly converted to Islam, and pressured into marriage with extremist Islamist militants.
Photo caption: Four Khami civilians who were allegedly abducted by the ARSA militant group on March 29, 2025, were found dead with gunshot wounds near the Mayu mountain range area on March 30, 2025. (Photo – APM).
@UKinBangladesh@HCSarahCooke https://t.co/d6zi0cYSOk
Study history, you people. Think about how long the conflict that started between you two has been going on. Is it morally right to complicate things without clearing them up? You should be ashamed.
@UKinBangladesh@HCSarahCooke Miss Anna Roberts, your job as a human rights activist is to look after the rights of all people. Now, what you are doing is following the wishes of your donors and acting ethically.Don't you think it's too much? And I didn't do the fieldworkyourself
🚨 #BreakingNews – Airstrike on Mrauk-U Hospital
On December 10, 2025, at approximately 9:13 p.m., the People’s Hospital in Mrauk-U, Arakan State, was struck by an airstrike carried out by the Myanmar junta’s air force.
Preliminary information indicates that around ten patients receiving treatment were killed on the spot, while many others sustained severe injuries.
Further updates will follow as more details are confirmed.
This attack occurred on International Human Rights Day.
On the night of December 10, the Myanmar military carried out a deliberate aerial strike on a hospital in Mrauk-U, the historic town in Rakhine State under Arakan Army control, killing 33 civilians—including several infants—and injuring more than 70 others.
The attack, condemned as a war crime by the Arakan Army, comes as the regime steps up pre-election assaults on areas outside its control.
#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
https://t.co/9BevaZ1oGa
🚨 #BreakingNews
A terrorist attack by the Fascist Terrorist Military Commission Air Force on Mrauk-U Hospital in Arakan State on December 10, 2025, at approximately 9:13 p.m. Video- Arakkha Health Department
On Dec 10, 2025, around 9 pm, the Myanmar junta dropped two 500-pound bombs on the Mrauk-U Town Public Hospital in Mrauk-U, Arakan State, killing 33 people, including 17 women, 16 men, and a three-month-old baby.
If the int’l govt are silenced, are we right to avenge them?
The attack on Mrauk-U Hospital was a deliberate mass killing of protected civilians. Committing such an atrocity on International Human Rights Day shows the junta’s absolute contempt for humanity,” said Hon. Mercy Chriesty Barends, Indonesian MP and Chairperson of APHR.
2 Years of Human Rights Violations in Arakan
(Nov 13, 2023 – Nov 13, 2025)
I. The Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office (HDCO), the department responsible for humanitarian affairs under the ULA-led Arakkha Government, issues this statement on the occasion of the 77th International Human Rights Day.
II. The people and Government of Arakan stand firmly for the human rights of every individual in Myanmar and around the world, and we express deep solidarity with all those suffering from human rights violations perpetrated by brutal forces.
III. At the same time, the people of Arakan have endured some of the most severe human rights violations in modern history and in the contemporary global context over the past two years (13 November 2023 – 13 November 2025).
IV. The internet and communication blackout—initially imposed under the previous semi-democratic government and expanded into a near-total blockade by the junta since late 2023—continues to shield perpetrators from accountability. This ongoing isolation has left civilians in areas beyond the junta-controlled towns of Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and Manaung extremely vulnerable to further human rights violations.
V. The sole perpetrators of these violations, atrocities and crimes are the illegal and illegitimate Myanmar military junta in Naypyidaw and extremist Islamist groups operating along the Arakan–Bangladesh border.
VI. In recent months, the HDCO has published a detailed report documenting the junta’s crimes, with particular focus on its airstrikes that have caused mass civilian casualties across Arakan, supported by verifiable evidence.
VII. HDCO records clearly show that Arakanese (Rakhine) civilians have been the primary victims of atrocities committed by both the junta and extremist Islamist groups, followed by members of other communities including Muslims, Mro, Thet, Khami, Daingnet and others.
VIII. Human rights belong to all peoples and communities without distinction as to race, ethnicity, religion, gender or any other status. The Arakkha Government remains fully committed to protecting and promoting the human rights of all residents living in Arakan.
IX. We therefore urge the United Nations, international NGOs, and global media outlets covering Arakan to report the situation on the ground in a fair, balanced and impartial manner, relying on credible sources and fact-based evidence.
#MyanmarJunta #SAC #SSPC #ARSA #RSO #ARA #RIM #HumanrightsViolations #Rakhine #Arakan
Contact (ဆက်သွယ်ရန်): [email protected]/ https://t.co/XqlS792KrX @ULAHDCOAVM https://t.co/5O3WMljUx5 https://t.co/eyXSHpoj4b
The junta’s pre-election bombing campaign grows more deadly by the day.
Last week the junta bombed a tea shop—today it's a public hospital.
States, incl' #ASEAN member states, need to impose coordinated arms & aviation fuel sanctions on the junta NOW! #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
Burmese Army airstrike Arakan Hospital in Mrauk_Oo Township. Killed civilians at least 10 and many injured.
We need to your international support to carry out decolonization process soonest.
We can’t stay together with these manner.
@RapporteurUn@usmissiongeneva
The airstrikes carried out by the junta regime on the hospital in Mrauk U town have tragically led to the killing of 33 innocent people, including 2 Muslim individuals. In addition, more than 80 individuals have suffered injuries, with 20 in critical condition in the northern Rakhine state of Myanmar.
This blatant assault underscores a disturbing pattern: the Myanmar junta is systematically targeting civilians and vital infrastructures, such as hospitals and schools, where innocent lives converge.
The devastation left in the wake of these airstrikes is staggering; the hospital now lies in ruins, utterly non-functional, highlighting the urgent need for international attention and intervention to protect vulnerable populations in this conflict.
Photo/Wai Hun Aung
Myanmar's Fascist Military/SAC intentionally targeted and killed the innocent civilians who were in the hospital in Mrauk-U, Arakan. The attack happened on International Human Rights Day!
@hrw@HumanRightsCtte