Junta airstrikes on Ponnagyun IDP camps kill 15 civilians, injure 30: AAPP

By Admin 14 Oct 2026

DMG Newsroom

14 October 2026, Ponnagyun

Nearly 30 civilians were killed or wounded when the military junta bombed displacement camps and villages in Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, according to a statement by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

According to an October 12 report, junta aircraft launched airstrikes during the first week of October targeting the Aungphyupyin, Byarla and Pannilar internally displaced person (IDP) camps in Ponnagyun Township.

The attacks killed approximately eight civilians and injured at least 20 others.

On October 5, junta fighter jets bombed a medical clinic near the Pannilar IDP camp and nearby Aungphyupyin Village, killing trainee nurse Ma Khine Thazin Soe.

On October 4, junta aircraft bombed the Byarla IDP camp, located near Thayetcho and Yoengu villages in Ponnagyun Township, killing six displaced civilians and injuring 10 others.

Relentless daily airstrikes and deliberate attacks on healthcare infrastructure by junta forces have plunged displaced communities across Ponnagyun Township into severe psychological trauma and insecurity.

“The regime is shooting and bombing every single day,” said a female resident of Ponnagyun Township. “As we are close to Sittwe, the sound of heavy artillery and gunfire can be heard day and night. Now that junta airstrikes are directly targeting IDP camps and clinics, it feels as though no safe place is left.”

Displaced families in Ponnagyun Township live in makeshift shelters built along roadsides and in forested areas near villages such as Kyaukseik, Thayetcho, Pannilar, Yoengu and Aungphyupyin.

Daily junta airstrikes on IDP camps have sparked intense panic, forcing some displaced families to flee again, while others remain trapped because of severe mobility constraints.

“After fleeing our homes to seek shelter in an IDP camp, having it bombed leaves us asking where we can possibly flee next,” said a displaced man in Ponnagyun Township. “The suddenness of these attacks causes immense hardship. Should we remain at the bombed camp, or relocate somewhere else? Where would even be safe, and what new hardships will we face?”

Facing battlefield reversals across Arakan State, the military junta has resorted to daily aerial bombardments of civilian targets, including schools, religious buildings, hospitals, medical clinics and IDP camps, resulting in continued civilian casualties.

Ko Kyaw Win Tun, chairman of the Ponnagyun Youths Association, said: “Displaced people in Ponnagyun Township face mounting struggles. Due to daily airstrikes, displaced families no longer dare to remain in IDP camps and are seeking shelter with relatives. Forced to abandon their daily wage jobs, they face severe livelihood hardships. Daily wage earners are suffering the most.”

According to the September monthly report by the Center for Arakan Studies (CAS), the escalation of conflict in Arakan State has heightened risks to civilian safety and created an urgent need for emergency humanitarian assistance.

To regain lost townships across Arakan State, the military junta deployed seven separate offensive columns advancing from Sittwe and Kyaukphyu townships, Ayeyarwady, Bago and Magway regions, and Chin State. However, the columns suffered heavy losses and retreated in the face of Arakan Army defensive operations.