Continued airstrikes in restive Rakhine state have reportedly killed dozens of people.
The head of the United Nations has expressed “alarm” over reports that Myanmar's military is shelling civilian areas.
Antonio Guterres called for calm Monday night following reports that continued airstrikes on villages in the country's restive Rakhine state have killed dozens of people.
Clashes have rocked the western state since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the 2021 military coup. Residents told the AFP that more than 20 people died.
Guterres is “alarmed by reports of ongoing airstrikes by the military, including today in Minbya township, which reportedly killed and injured many civilians,” said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the U.N. chief.
“The expansion of conflict in Rakhine State is causing displacement and exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities and discrimination,” he said. “The Secretary-General calls on all parties to prevent further incitement of communal tensions.”
Minbya township is located east of the state capital, Sittwe, which has been virtually isolated by AA fighters in recent weeks.
The airstrike hit the village of Thar Dar, a predominantly Rohingya village about 5 kilometers (3 miles) north of Minbya, early Monday, killing 10 men, four women and 10 children, a resident said.
“There was no fighting in our village and we were bombed,” he said, requesting anonymity for security reasons.
Another resident, who also requested anonymity, said 23 people were killed in the explosion and 18 were injured.
With most mobile networks down, communication with the riverine region is extremely difficult.
Rohingya Muslims have faced persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for decades and nearly a million of them live in overcrowded camps in the border district of Cox's Bazar in neighboring Bangladesh. Most fled military repression in 2017.
Myanmar's military rulers view the Rohingya as foreign intruders and have denied them citizenship.
Government troops control Sittwe, but in recent weeks AA fighters have made gains in surrounding districts.
The fighting has also spread to neighboring India and Bangladesh.
Last month, at least two people were killed in Bangladesh after mortar shells fired from Myanmar during clashes hit across the border.
The AA is one of several armed minority ethnic groups in Myanmar's border regions, many of which have fought the military for autonomy and control of lucrative resources since independence from Britain in 1948.
