A military airstrike on a school in Myanmar last week killed at least 19 students, according to an ethnic militia, as the ruling junta intensifies efforts to reclaim territory ahead of a December election. The attack targeted a boarding school in Kyauktaw Township in Rakhine state, where children were reported killed and injured, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said. While UNICEF did not provide a death toll, the Arakan Army, a militia opposing the military, confirmed that at least 19 students aged 15 to 21 had died.

Reuters could not independently verify the claims, as internet and mobile services have been disrupted in parts of Rakhine by the military, and attempts to contact residents in Kyauktaw were unsuccessful. The military did not respond to requests for comment. “The attack is part of a growing pattern of deadly violence in Rakhine, with children and families bearing the brunt,” UNICEF stated.

Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh, has seen months of heavy fighting between the military and the Arakan Army, which seeks greater autonomy for the coastal region. The state has long faced instability, with the World Food Programme warning of rising hunger and malnutrition, particularly affecting the persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority.

Over the past month, the military has conducted nearly 500 airstrikes nationwide, killing more than 40 children and striking 15 schools, according to the shadow National Unity Government. The military’s use of air power has surged, with 1,134 airstrikes reported between January and May, compared with 197 and 640 in the same periods in 2023 and 2024, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Myanmar, one of Southeast Asia’s poorest nations, has been engulfed in violence since the 2021 military coup that removed Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. Nationwide protests against the junta were violently suppressed, and the opposition has since evolved into an armed resistance, bolstered by both established ethnic armies and new militias.

After four years of emergency rule, the military formed an interim government last month and announced a multi-phase election beginning on December 28, with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing continuing as acting president. The election, widely criticized by Western governments and human rights organizations as illegitimate, is expected to be dominated by military-aligned parties, as opposition groups are largely barred or have opted out.

The military-backed election commission recently announced that voting would not take place in 56 lower house and nine upper house constituencies due to unfavorable conditions, according to state media Global New Light of Myanmar. These areas are largely under rebel control, including parts of Kachin, Chin, Shan, and Rakhine states.