At least 15 people, including a week-old baby and three schoolchildren, have reportedly been killed in a series of Myanmar military airstrikes that struck a maternity clinic, a school and other locations across two states over the weekend.
The attacks took place on Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, in Kayah and Rakhine states, where fighting between Myanmar's military and armed resistance groups has continued.
Reuters reported on Monday, November 2, that an ethnic armed organisation, humanitarian workers and regional rights monitors had documented the deaths.
The reported casualties include at least 12 people killed in Rakhine State and three students killed in Kayah State.
The military-backed government did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on the latest incidents. It has previously defended its military operations as campaigns against groups it describes as terrorists.
The reported strikes have renewed concerns about the safety of medical facilities, schools and displaced civilians in Myanmar's prolonged civil war.
Newborn killed in maternity clinic strike
One of the most disturbing incidents occurred in Mrauk-U, an ancient city in western Rakhine State controlled by the Arakan Army.
According to local humanitarian workers, military aircraft struck a temporary medical facility providing maternity and postnatal care on Sunday.
The attack reportedly killed five people, including a week-old baby girl and people receiving or providing medical care.
The infant had a surviving twin and was expected to leave the facility the following day.
Humanitarian worker Wai Hun Aung told Reuters that the baby died when the building collapsed following the explosion.
Nine people were reportedly injured at the medical facility.
Independent Myanmar broadcaster Democratic Voice of Burma also reported the strike, citing local residents who described the location as a facility dedicated to mothers and infants.
The accounts provide corroborating evidence that a medical facility was hit, although the exact sequence of explosions and the full casualty list have not been independently established.
Airstrikes hit several Rakhine townships
The maternity clinic attack formed part of a wider series of strikes reported across four Rakhine townships.
According to the Arakan Army and humanitarian sources, at least 12 people were killed and 32 injured in Sunday's attacks.
A bridge connecting communities near Kyauktaw was among the reported targets.
Local accounts indicated that seven civilians travelling across the bridge were killed.
Other strikes were reported in Kyaukphyu and Pauktaw, where residents sustained injuries and buildings were damaged.
Democratic Voice of Burma reported that the attacks affected civilian transit routes, residential communities and healthcare facilities.
The Arakan Army controls much of Rakhine State, including Mrauk-U, following years of fighting with Myanmar's central military authorities.
Its control of the territory has not ended the threat of airstrikes.
Military aircraft continue to operate over areas held by resistance forces, while civilians face restrictions on movement and access to essential services.
Three students reportedly killed at school
A separate airstrike in eastern Loikaw Township, Kayah State, reportedly killed three children on Saturday, October 31.
Local publication Kantarawaddy Times reported that a school sheltering internally displaced people was struck at approximately 2 p.m.
The Karenni State Interim Executive Council said the victims were one boy and two girls.
Five other children were reportedly injured, including a nine-year-old boy and four girls aged between 12 and 16.
One of the injured children was reported to be in critical condition.
Regional monitors said a Y-12 aircraft and a fighter jet were involved in the attack.
They alleged that more than 20 bombs were dropped and that no fighting was occurring nearby.
Those details remain attributed accounts and have not been independently established through a completed investigation.
The incident nevertheless raises serious concerns about the protection of children and displaced families in areas affected by Myanmar's civil war.
Civilian facilities under increasing threat
The latest reports follow repeated allegations of military attacks affecting schools, hospitals and displacement sites.
In August, the United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar published findings identifying a pattern of deliberate aerial attacks on civilians.
The mechanism said its investigations covered strikes on homes, schools, healthcare facilities, religious buildings and camps for displaced people.
Its findings were based on evidence gathered from witnesses, photographs, videos, documents and other material.
The UN investigators also reported increasing military reliance on drones and other aircraft capable of carrying explosives.
Such methods can make attacks difficult for civilians to anticipate.
The mechanism has identified some military units associated with attacks documented in its investigations.
However, those earlier findings do not constitute a completed investigation into the specific incidents reported on October 31 and November 1.
Rakhine's healthcare crisis deepens
The reported maternity clinic strike is particularly concerning because medical services in Rakhine have already been severely disrupted.
In December 2025, an airstrike on Mrauk-U General Hospital killed more than 30 people and injured dozens.
The attack drew international condemnation.
Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, warned at the time that the destruction of the hospital would further restrict access to medical care.
The organisation said many healthcare facilities had already been damaged and numerous medical professionals had fled because of the fighting.
For communities facing these conditions, the loss of even a small temporary clinic can have serious consequences.
Maternity care, emergency treatment, childhood healthcare and referrals for critically ill patients may become harder to obtain.
The reported destruction of another medical facility therefore adds to concerns about the long-term consequences of the conflict for civilian health.
Myanmar's continuing civil war
Myanmar has experienced widespread armed conflict since the military removed Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021.
The takeover triggered mass protests and the formation of armed resistance movements.
Fighting has since expanded across large parts of the country.
According to figures cited by Reuters from the United Nations, the conflict has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million.
The military-backed administration has sought to regain territory lost to resistance organisations, including ethnic armed groups controlling significant areas of the country.
The Arakan Army has established control over much of Rakhine State, while armed groups in Kayah and neighbouring regions continue to oppose military rule.
Air power has become a significant component of the military's operations.
The consequences for civilians have included displacement, destruction of infrastructure and disruption to essential services.
Regional implications
Myanmar's conflict has also created security concerns for neighbouring countries.
Thailand has reported incidents in which fighting near its border damaged property and injured people on the Thai side.
Thai authorities have increased aerial monitoring in some border areas.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has urged Myanmar to prevent military activity from affecting Thailand.
The wider humanitarian emergency also has implications for regional diplomacy and international efforts to protect civilians.
The United Nations and humanitarian organisations have repeatedly called for compliance with international humanitarian law.
Schools and medical facilities are protected under the laws of armed conflict, although determining the legal responsibility for any particular attack requires evidence concerning the circumstances and conduct involved.
Calls for accountability
Regional humanitarian organisations have urged stronger international action to protect civilians from aerial attacks.
In Rakhine, civil society groups have called for measures to restrict military attacks and improve humanitarian access.
The latest reported strikes are likely to increase scrutiny of the military's conduct.
However, no final judicial determination has been made concerning the October 31 and November 1 incidents.
Investigators would need reliable evidence about the targets, military operations, civilian presence and decisions made by those responsible for the attacks.
The Myanmar military-backed government has not provided a detailed public response to the specific allegations covered in the latest Reuters report.
What happens next
Humanitarian workers and local organisations are continuing to document casualties and damage.
Further independent investigation will be needed to establish the complete death toll, identify those responsible and assess whether violations of international humanitarian law occurred.
For civilians in Rakhine and Kayah, the immediate concerns remain access to medical treatment, safe shelter and protection from further attacks.
The latest reported deaths include some of the most vulnerable people caught in the conflict: a newborn receiving maternity care and children attending or sheltering at a school.
The attacks underline the continuing humanitarian consequences of Myanmar's war, even as the country's military-backed administration seeks renewed international diplomatic engagement.
