Arakan children bear growing toll of junta airstrikes

By Admin 03 Jul 2026

DMG Newsroom

3 July 2026, Ponnagyun

Children in Arakan State are facing some of the gravest consequences of the military regime's continuing airstrikes, with many killed, injured, orphaned, deprived of education, and left with lasting psychological trauma.

As civilian casualties continue to rise across the state, children remain among the most vulnerable victims of the junta's aerial attacks.

According to the Arakan Army (AA), at least four children were killed and at least three others seriously injured when the regime bombed Yoengu Village in Ponnagyun Township on February 24, 2026.

Among the survivors was four-year-old Ma Khaing Sandar Lin, who lost both legs in the attack. She now relies entirely on her family for daily care.

"Even if she is fitted with artificial limbs, someone will always have to help her. We have to devote ourselves to caring for her. Looking at her now breaks my heart. When she moves around on her knees, I cannot bear to watch. When she sees other children walking, she looks at them with envy," her grandmother, Daw Hla Sein Nyunt, told DMG.

The junta has stepped up airstrikes using fleets of aircraft against townships controlled by the Arakan Army, leaving children among the hardest hit by the attacks.

Beyond the physical injuries, the bombings have devastated families and disrupted children's education and future.

In March 2025, an airstrike on Aungphyupyin Village in Ponnagyun Township killed the parents of Ma Moe Moe Chay, leaving her to care for her younger siblings.

"Since my parents died, my younger brothers are still of school age. I can only afford to send one of them to school. The other, who is 15 years old, also wants to study, but with medical expenses and daily living costs, I cannot support his education with only one income," she said.

The attack also killed her elder brother, leaving only her two younger brothers alive.

Children have also suffered severe physical and psychological trauma in junta airstrikes on Pannilar and Yoetayoke villages in Ponnagyun Township, with many killed, permanently disabled, displaced from school, and struggling to survive.

The regime continues to launch airstrikes on areas under Arakan Army control across Arakan State, depriving children of fundamental rights, including their right to life, education, and safety.