Myanmar’s military junta has destroyed two Christian churches in separate attacks in the country’s predominantly Christian regions, prompting renewed accusations of religious persecution and violations of international humanitarian law as the nation’s bloody civil war continues.
According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), military fighter jets bombed a Presbyterian church in Mindat, Chin State, on October 9, destroying the building. Three days later, government troops reportedly burned down the Htingnan Kachin Baptist Church and surrounding homes near Bhamo in Kachin State.
CSW condemned the attacks, warning that churches have increasingly become targets of military operations against ethnic resistance groups. The organization says Christian communities are being punished for their perceived association with armed opposition forces, while churches serving as shelters, schools, and humanitarian aid centers are being destroyed.
The latest attacks are part of a broader campaign affecting religious communities throughout Myanmar. According to Myanmar Witness, more than 300 airstrikes struck religious sites, including churches, between January 2024 and December 2025.
Decades of Civil War and Military Rule
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has experienced ethnic insurgencies since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. Numerous ethnic minority groups, including the predominantly Christian Chin and Kachin communities, have fought for greater autonomy against successive military-dominated governments.
The military seized direct control of the country in 1962, ruling for decades before limited democratic reforms began in 2011. However, on February 1, 2021, military leaders overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering nationwide protests that eventually erupted into a full-scale civil war.
Since then, the military has battled an alliance of ethnic armed organizations and pro-democracy resistance forces. Entire communities have been displaced, villages destroyed, and religious institutions devastated as fighting has spread across the country.
Christian communities have suffered particularly severe destruction in several conflict zones. According to reports, 21 of the 22 churches in Thantlang, a predominantly Christian town in Chin State, have been destroyed since the 2021 coup.
For Myanmar’s believers, the conflict has become more than a struggle over political power. With churches reduced to rubble, pastors threatened, and congregations scattered, Christian organizations warn that the country’s continuing civil war threatens the survival of longstanding Christian communities.
