Myanmar junta says it has taken full control of key Sagaing trade route

Myanmar’s military junta said on Tuesday that it has regained control of a strategic section of highway in Sagaing Region after more than a month of fighting, but resistance forces disputed the claim, saying the military controls only parts of the route. In a statement, the regime said that its forces had secured the 115-mile Monywa-Yargyi-Kalaywa road, a key transportation corridor that forms part of the route connecting central Myanmar with the Indian border. According to the statement, troops captured a series of villages in Kani and Mingin townships before linking up with forces advancing from Kalaywa Township on Tuesday. The military said the operation would allow freight transport to resume between Mandalay, Monywa and the India border via the Kalay-Tamu route. The road passes through Kani, Mingin and Kalaywa townships, areas where resistance forces have maintained a strong presence since the military seized power in a 2021 coup. Local resistance sources challenged the military’s assertion that it had fully secured the route. “It is only partial, from Monywa through Kani and around places like Chaungma, with a few scattered positions near Kalaywa,” a local resistance fighter said. “There is no way they are in full control.” Another resistance source said the military has established positions at several locations, including Bant Bway, Chaungma, and the Yargyi Tower Station, but has not regained complete control of the highway. “The road is not ready to become fully operational,” the fighter said. “Even if they occupy the road, they will have to remain in defensive positions, and resistance attacks will continue.” The Monywa-Yargyi-Kalaywa road is strategically important because it links central Myanmar with the Kalay-Tamu corridor to the Indian border, and also provides access to Magway Region and Chin State, where resistance forces remain active. The military’s latest offensive comes as it seeks to re-establish control over major transportation and trade routes in central and northwestern Myanmar. During junta leader Min Aung Hlaing’s recent visit to India, Myanmar and India agreed to accelerate delayed infrastructure projects, including the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. The Trilateral Highway is designed to connect Moreh in India’s Manipur state with Mae Sot in Thailand through central Myanmar, passing through Sagaing and Mandalay regions, Naypyitaw, and Karen State. In June, the military also launched an offensive along the Kalay-Tamu road near the Indian border. It said it had recaptured Khampat, a town seized by resistance forces in late 2023, although residents and resistance sources said fighting continues in surrounding areas. “Resistance forces still control the area from Kanan to Witok,” a Khampat resident said. “Khampat town itself is in the hands of the military.” Resistance sources said many of the troops deployed in the Sagaing operations were newly conscripted soldiers supported by airstrikes, drones, and heavy artillery. Despite recent battlefield gains by the military, resistance fighters said they do not expect the junta to maintain long-term control over the contested roadways because of continuing attacks and widespread local opposition. The military has intensified operations across Sagaing and Magway regions and Chin State in recent months, while continuing airstrikes in resistance-held areas, even as the regime has claimed that it is seeking to end five years of conflict. The military has also sought to reopen other trade corridors, including the Mandalay-Shwebo-Myitkyina highway linking Mandalay with Kachin State. Fighting along that route south of Indaw in upper Sagaing Region has stranded cargo traffic for about a week, according to local residents.

Myanmar junta says it has taken full control of key Sagaing trade route

Resistance forces deny the claim, saying that sections of the 115-mile Monywa-Yargyi-Kalaywa road are still contested

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