Myanmar junta and resistance forces engage in heavy clashes along Sagaing-Kachin border

Fighting continues to intensify in Sagaing Region’s Indaw Township and across the border in neighbouring Kachin State as regime and resistance forces battle for control of this gateway to Myanmar’s north, according to local residents and resistance sources. The clashes began in early May, a month after the launch of a major junta offensive that resulted in the capture of Indaw, the township’s administrative centre, on April 30 and the nearby town of Maw Luu, close to the Kachin border, days later. Heavy fighting escalated on May 13, when junta troops began clearance operations west of Indaw and encountered strong resistance from a coalition of anti-regime forces. On May 22, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Arakan Army, and forces aligned with the National Unity Government launched attacks on both Indaw and Maw Luu. The military responded with aerial bombings, according to resistance sources. Clashes were also reported near Mawhun, a village about 12 miles north of Maw Luu in neighbouring Kachin State. “Fighting is happening every day around Indaw, Maw Luu, and Mawhun,” a KIA source said. “It’s a push-and-pull situation. Sometimes we advance, and then they advance for a while.” The source said the joint resistance forces captured several junta positions in Sipein, a village near Maw Luu, during fighting on May 22. Clashes also took place inside Maw Luu and Indaw at the outset of the battle, he added. “For the first two days, there was fighting right inside the towns. Now it’s guerrilla style, launching attacks from outside,” the source said. “Fighting is happening in all areas.” Resistance forces also reported intercepting four military trucks carrying reinforcements from Mohnyin to the contested towns a day before the attacks. Two trucks were destroyed, and the remaining vehicles retreated, according to resistance sources, who said junta troops suffered heavy casualties. The military has intensified daily airstrikes in an effort to maintain control of the strategically important towns, resistance groups said. Thousands of residents from villages between Indaw and Namseeawng, a village across the border in Kachin State, have fled the fighting for safer areas, local residents said. On May 23, junta forces allegedly set fire to houses in Nyaungpintha, a village north of Maw Luu, while retreating from resistance attacks, according to local sources. Zin Yaw, a former Myanmar army captain who defected to the resistance, said both sides were fighting to control a critical transportation corridor linking northern and central Myanmar. “The army wants the whole Mandalay-Myitkyina route,” Zin Yaw said. “Whichever side gains Indaw and Maw Luu will be able to hold that communication route connecting Kachin State and Sagaing and Mandalay regions. That’s why the Indaw and Maw Luu battle has become absolutely crucial.” Amid the escalating violence, local resistance authorities issued a warning on Sunday advising civilians not to travel on the road linking Indaw, Maw Luu, and Namseeawng. Passenger vehicles were reportedly stranded along the route. Fighting between junta troops and resistance forces continued Monday morning in villages north of Maw Luu, according to local sources.

Myanmar junta and resistance forces engage in heavy clashes along Sagaing-Kachin border

Fighting intensifies as the two sides battle for control of a key gateway to the country’s north

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