Christian communities in Myanmar suffered two devastating blows within days of each other this month, as the country's military bombed one church from the air and burned another to the ground, according to a report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

On October 9, two military fighter jets dropped four bombs on two locations in Mindat, in the country's Chin state, devastating the town's Presbyterian church compound, CSW reported. No civilian casualties were reported in the airstrike.

Three days later, soldiers from the military's 33rd and 88th Light Infantry Divisions set fire to the Htingnan Kachin Baptist Church and surrounding homes in Banmaw, in Kachin state, as well as nearby homes. Col. Naw Bu, a spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army, confirmed the burning to The Irrawaddy, describing recurring clashes in the area as military forces sought to recapture the town, also known as Bhamo.

CSW founder president Mervyn Thomas said the attacks were "clear violations of international humanitarian law and freedom of religion or belief." He noted that the loss goes far beyond the buildings themselves: in these conflict-ravaged communities, churches also serve as emergency shelters, schools, and centers for distributing humanitarian aid to people already displaced by war.

"Targeting and destroying places of worship that serve as spiritual and community lifelines for vulnerable populations is a grave crime," Thomas said.

CSW described the attacks as part of a systematic campaign against religious infrastructure in Myanmar's ethnic minority regions, with the destruction of churches used to retaliate against armed resistance movements and to punish civilian populations caught between the fighting.

The broader picture is bleak. Myanmar ranks number 14 on Open Doors' 2026 World Watch List, scoring 81 out of 100 and placing it in the organization's extreme persecution category. Open Doors estimates that about 4.6 million Christians live in the country. According to the organization, believers there face restrictions on registering churches, opposition to evangelism, and discrimination rooted in religious nationalism, with Christians in Chin and Kachin states among those most vulnerable to violence and displacement.

Thomas urged the international community to move beyond words. "The international community must move beyond statements of concern and take concrete steps to cut off the junta's access to aviation fuel and military hardware," he said, pointing to the airstrikes as evidence that the military's bombing campaign continues unabated.

For the believers who gathered in those sanctuaries, the rubble of Mindat and Banmaw now stands as a painful reminder that following Christ in Myanmar can carry a terrible cost — and a call for Christians around the world to remember their brothers and sisters in prayer.