Myanmar junta forces press on in Bago, forcing thousands to flee

As Myanmar’s military continues its offensives in both eastern and western Bago Region—separated by the Bago Yoma mountain range—thousands of residents have been forced to flee, according to local sources. In eastern Bago, regime forces have been advancing in Kyauktaga Township since last week, following deadly raids earlier in the month in neighbouring Nyaunglebin Township to the south, sources said. Kyauktaga and Nyaunglebin are both in the territory of Brigade 3 of the Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU). The area is also part of the People’s Defence Forces’ Bago Region Military Command. On March 17, junta troops from Say Yoe Khin—a village west of the town of Pein Za Loke, located along the old Yangon-Mandalay Highway in Nyaunglebin Township—pushed into the villages of Za Yat Khin, Nan Za Lay, and Thea Hpyu, all within a three-mile radius of Penwegon, a town in Kyauktaga Township. According to a statement released by the KNU the following day, the regime column forced residents of eight villages to flee, displacing more than 1,700 people. Saw Hae Gay, the KNU’s Nyaunglebin District spokesperson, said the military continues to target local villagers because it makes no distinction between armed resistance forces and civilians. “They regard anyone who doesn’t support them as an enemy, carrying out artillery, drone, and paramotor attacks on communities, and not just on our resistance positions,” he said. He added that the displaced villagers are in dire need of assistance. “They are facing shortages of food, shelter, and other basic necessities. Fleeing prevents them from taking anything with them, and they may also require medicines,” he said. Meanwhile, thousands of civilians have also been forced to flee villages in western Bago Region, as junta troops push into Nattalin Township. A woman helping the displaced told Myanmar Now that raids have left at least 8,000 people homeless. Regime forces have killed several civilians and destroyed hundreds of homes as part of their offensive in Nattalin, according to residents. At least 20 villages have been affected by the attacks, including Shar Say Hpo, Hpan Lan Pin, Tha Yet Pin Kan Yoe, Ngoke Ta Yar, Nyaung Waing, and Khway Thay, sources said. The military began pushing into eastern Nattalin Township late last year as it seeks to retake territories lost to resistance forces. While some of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have the means to take shelter in other towns and villages, most have been forced to hide in forests and provide for themselves, the woman involved in relief efforts said. “There is no official IDP camp. The displaced have to build their own temporary bamboo huts in whatever space they can find in the forest and forage for food themselves. As their numbers grow, more help is needed,” she said.

Myanmar junta forces press on in Bago, forcing thousands to flee

Dozens of villages have been emptied by the regime’s ongoing efforts to retake lost territory on both sides of the Bago Yoma

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