Four Rakhine IDPs Killed in Ayeyarwady Region Airstrikes Within a Month

Narinjara, September 7, 2026

Two Rakhine internally displaced persons (IDPs) were killed on September 5 when the military junta launched an airstrike on Pantawgyi village in Lay Myint Township, Ayeyarwady Region, according to local sources.

The victims, a father and son who had fled conflict in Rakhine State, were identified as U Hla Shwe, over 60, and Ko Min Htwe, over 30.

Locals reported that the military carried out the bombing around 5:00 AM despite there being no active fighting in the area. The airstrike destroyed approximately six houses belonging to both displaced families and local residents.

"Pantawgyi is located right on the border of Rakhine State," a local resident told Narinjara. "There is no active fighting or military presence here. These families fled the war in Rakhine because they had nowhere else to go. Their food and living conditions are already very poor, and now they are being bombed. The area is cut off from communications with very little access, and the remaining displaced people don't know where to run next."

Pantawgyi village sits on the border of the Ayeyarwady Region, bordering the Rakhine Yoma mountain range. Both the Arakan Army (AA) and its allied forces, as well as junta troops, are active in the surrounding territory.

This incident marks the second fatal bombing of Rakhine refugees in the region within a month. On August 5, a military airstrike targeted Thae Phyu village in Tharbaung Township, another border area near the Rakhine Yoma,killing two displaced brothers and destroying their home. The victims of that attack were identified as Ko Nga Soe, 40, and Ko Hla Htwe, 30, who had previously fled Gwe Township in Rakhine State.