The Worst Act of Betrayal: Killing Its Own Soldiers By Myanmar Junta in Arakan

Opinion, Oo Kyaw Thar March 13, 2026

Myanmar Junta Chief and Injured POWs In Recent Air Attacks in Ann (photocrd)

War, brutal as it is, operates within established rules. Once combatants surrender or are captured, they must be treated humanely and protected from harm. This principle is firmly codified in international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, and represents one of the most fundamental norms governing armed conflict. Even enemies on the battlefield are entitled to protection once they are no longer fighting.

On March 8 in Arakan State, Myanmar’s military carried out a deadly attack on a detention camp holding captured soldiers, reportedly killing 116 prisoners and injuring more than 30 others, according to statements released by the Arakan Army (AA). The military allegedly launched continuous airstrikes for nearly three hours on the facility, targeting personnel captured during the Arakan Army’s seizure of the Western Regional Military Command headquarters in Ann in December 2024. Among the dead were numerous senior officers from Myanmar’s own military. This attack constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and represents one of the most disturbing acts of betrayal in Myanmar’s ongoing conflict: the deliberate targeting of its own captured soldiers.

This was not an isolated incident. On January 20, 2026, the military reportedly carried out another airstrike on a detention site between Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun, where prisoners of war were held. Reports indicate that dozens of detainees, including family members residing nearby, were killed. Together, these incidents reveal a clear pattern: rather than protecting captured personnel, the Myanmar military has repeatedly struck the very locations where they are held.

An Unprecedented Betrayal

Few acts in warfare are more morally reprehensible than intentionally killing one’s own soldiers after they have been captured. Repeated airstrikes on prisoner-of-war detention facilities in Arakan have reportedly pushed the number of captured soldiers killed by their own military close to 200.

Such actions reflect a leadership that treats its personnel as expendable assets rather than individuals whose lives carry intrinsic value. Once captured, soldiers appear to be viewed as liabilities. The destruction of detention sites serves multiple purposes: eliminating witnesses, preventing intelligence leaks, and sending a chilling signal to troops still engaged on the battlefield. The message is clear and deeply unsettling: captured soldiers are abandoned and, in some cases, deliberately targeted by their own military. This underscores a profound breakdown of institutional responsibility and the erosion of ethical norms within the armed forces that claim to represent and protect Myanmar’s soldiers.

A Pattern of Mass Killing

These airstrikes are part of a broader pattern of violence that has defined the military’s conduct in recent years. Since the 2021 coup, airstrikes and artillery attacks have increasingly targeted civilian areas and non-military infrastructure.

On March 5, 2026, Myanmar junta forces conducted raids and air and drone strikes in Kyauk Kyi Township, Bago Region, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians, with some reports estimating around 40 fatalities. Earlier, on December 10, 2025 — International Human Rights Day, the military deliberately targeted a hospital in Mrauk-U, killing more than 80 people. These attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure have become alarmingly routine, highlighting the junta’s disregard for international humanitarian norms.

In Arakan alone, the military has reportedly struck at least five locations where prisoners of war were detained. These attacks have killed detainees and civilians alike, including family members living nearby. The pattern is stark: overwhelming force directed against individuals no longer participating in combat, whether detainees, prisoners of war, or civilians.

The Question of Accountability

Deliberately targeting prisoners of war constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law. Under the Geneva Conventions, prisoners must be protected from violence, intimidation, and reprisals. Attacks that knowingly endanger detainees are not battlefield accidents—they are war crimes.

Yet accountability remains elusive. The Myanmar military has operated with near-total impunity for decades. Village burnings, mass killings, and attacks on civilian infrastructure have repeatedly been documented by international organizations, yet meaningful consequences have been limited. This persistence of impunity has emboldened the military to commit ever more blatant violations, as the attacks on prisoner-of-war camps demonstrate.

The Need for Unity

The events in Arakan also highlight another reality: the military’s capacity for atrocity is strengthened when opposition forces are divided. Fragmentation among resistance movements allows the military to exploit internal divisions and perpetuate violence.

Greater coordination and cooperation among revolutionary forces are therefore essential. A collective strategy can limit the military’s capacity to exploit divisions, protect vulnerable populations, and challenge the institution’s impunity.

The March 8 airstrike is a stark testament to moral collapse within an organization that claims to be a national army. Killing its own prisoners reveals not strength but a profound erosion of legitimacy, ethics, and responsibility.

Until accountability is pursued and opposition forces are unified, tragedies like the one in Arakan will continue to define the trajectory of Myanmar’s conflict, leaving prisoners, civilians, and even the military’s own personnel at the mercy of a leadership that has abandoned every principle of lawful conduct.