At least six PDF fighters killed in airstrikes on Magway oilfield

Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military killed at least six People’s Defence Force (PDF) fighters and injured 10 others at an oilfield in Magway Region’s Pauk Township on Saturday, according to local sources. The strikes began at around 2pm and targeted the Hpalankaing oilfield, near the border with Myaing Township, the sources said. Five fighter jets attacked the site at least 10 times, resulting in multiple casualties and the destruction of two houses, they added. “We cannot yet confirm which battalions were involved,” a man familiar with the situation told Myanmar Now late Saturday. According to We Love Myaing, a local news group, three of the fighter jets departed from Magway Air Base and two from Meiktila Air Base. The airstrikes were reportedly incited by pro-junta propagandists, who noted the presence of a large number of PDF forces in the area since early last week. On March 30, hundreds of PDF troops arrived in northern Pauk and southern Myaing townships to occupy oilfields in the area, raising tensions with local resistance groups. The troops, from PDF battalions based in Magway and Sagaing regions, were sent by the National Unity Government (NUG) amid negotiations with the Magway Federal Unit Hluttaw, an interim regional government affiliated with the NUG. “The NUG troops came in and took over the area, which was collectively seized and held by our local groups,” said an official of a resistance force based in the area. “They came with the attitude that the Union [central] government would take everything, without any prior coordination or negotiation with the Unit government,” he added. Residents of three nearby villages fled over concerns about the situation, which appeared to ease by the end of the week after two days of discussions between the two sides. On Friday (April 3), the NUG and the Magway Federal Unit Hluttaw announced that they would form a supervisory committee for managing the oilfields. The committee will include Dr. Zaw Wai Soe, minister of the NUG Prime Minister’s Office, Soe Thura Htun, the minister of electricity and energy, and leaders of the Magway Federal Unit Hluttaw, including its chief minister, Dr. Ye Htun Zaw. Chit Win Maung, the NUG’s deputy prime minister, called the talks “constructive” and said they marked an initial step toward power-sharing arrangements between the Union government and the interim regional government. “It should be assessed as good because we were able to start steps not only to properly manage the current situation, but also to proceed with the devolution of power between the Magway Federal Unit Hluttaw and the Union government. We will have to work to bring those results to fruition,” he said. The NUG has been forming regional governments since late last year in a bid to strengthen administrative and defence operations in areas under its control in Magway, Mandalay, and Sagaing regions. Resistance forces began attacking oil blocks under the control of the state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise in late 2022, and took full control of them in 2024. Since then, they have been operated by local anti-junta groups. Local communities have increased their dependence on crude oil from Magway’s oilfields since late February, when the US-Israel war on Iran began to disrupt shipments of oil and gas from the Middle East.

At least six PDF fighters killed in airstrikes on Magway oilfield

The attacks come as the NUG and the newly formed interim regional government seek to end tensions over control of the oilfields

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