Myanmar military launches airstrikes in Sagaing ahead of election phase two

Myanmar’s military ramped up security and carried out airstrikes in parts of Sagaing Region ahead of the second phase of junta-organised elections on Sunday, killing one civilian and wounding at least 11 others, local sources said. The second phase of the junta’s election process covered 11 townships in Sagaing Region, including Chaung-U, Mingin and Wuntho. Despite the vote, the military carried out aerial attacks on villages in Chaung-U, Mingin and Wuntho townships on January 7 and 8, according to local sources. In Chaung-U Township, a tea shop in Tawkyaunglay village, about 18 miles from Sagaing Region’s capital Monywa and near the junta’s Northwestern Command headquarters, was struck twice by gyrocopters on January 7. One civilian was killed and five others were injured in the attack, the township People’s Defense Organization (PDO) said, adding that the aircraft returned roughly 15 minutes after the initial strike to hit the same location again. "The first time was around 1pm," the PDO source told Myanmar Now.“The second strike came about 15 minutes later, when they returned and opened fire again. The main purpose was to delay and obstruct rescue efforts, and it was also a deliberate attack,” he said. Tawkyaunglay village on the eastern bank of the Chindwin River is only eight miles from Chaung-U town. Sources said there were no ground troops or ground battles. In Chaung-U Township, where resistance forces have strong territorial control, resistance troops regularly conduct ambush assaults on junta forces traveling along the strategically important Monywa-Mandalay road section. In Chaung-U town, where elections were held, the junta reinforced the area with three armored vehicles on January 9, while also deploying additional security forces at polling stations. In Mingin Township, which was also included in the vote, a gyrocopter attacked Mondin village near the town on the afternoon of January 7. No casualties were reported."They bombed the village,” the Mingin Township PDO information officer said. “But there were no battles at that time. No ground troops for active. And since elections are on the 11th, we assumed they came to bomb because they're afraid of disruption to the voting.” Namkham village, east of Wuntho town, was struck by fighter jets after 7:30 pm on January 8, wounding six people, according to local resistance forces. Jets bombed a road junction, an old school building and nearby shops, and also carried out strafing attacks. Those injured included one man and five women, one of whom, a 58-year-old woman hit in the head by shrapnel, was seriously wounded. "These are areas where civilians live,” a member of a Wuntho-based resistance force told Myanmar Now. “There were no battles, no military columns. And resistance groups don't stay there either.”In Wuntho Township, the junta has frequently deployed military columns to surrounding villages since mid-December, triggering clashes with resistance forces. Anti-junta groups have urged residents of Wuntho town—where Light Infantry Battalions 120 and 111 under Light Infantry Division 33 are based—to leave by January 9, two days before the elections, warning of a possible humanitarian disaster. Sagaing Region has faced near-daily airstrikes in recent months, despite hosting tens of thousands of displaced civilians. In December alone, junta aerial attacks killed nearly 90 people, and since early January strikes across multiple townships have left at least 27 dead and more than 60 injured, according to Myanmar Now data. Residents take part in anti-election protest activities in Salingyi Township, Yinmabin District, Sagaing Region, opposing the military’s planned polls amid ongoing conflict and repression. (Photo: Yinmabin-Salingyi Villages United Strike Leading Committee) ‘They didn't have time to prepare’ In Mingin town, under junta control, authorities tightened movement by land and water and stepped up patrols and gunfire in the days leading up to the vote, according to local sources. In nearby Ye-U Township, the military reinforced its presence from January 6 and carried out ground operations in surrounding villages, triggering clashes with resistance forces. "Rather than waiting for attacks from our side, it seems like they're planning to conduct offensives,” a Mingin town PDO officer told Myanmar Now.“Before clearing operations of Phase 1, many resistance organisations came and attacked, so they didn't have time to prepare. Looking at the lessons from their previous assaults, that's probably the reasoning”During the first phase of voting on December 28, resistance forces attacked Katha town and raided junta positions in Budalin, where the military has since been preparing to reinforce its presence ahead of planned elections, according to local sources.“They’re preparing for the elections,” said a resistance member in Budalin. “Only about a third of the population remains in town, and for now the situation is tense but relatively calm.”The junta planned to hold the second phase of its elections in 100 townships outside Chin and Rakhine states, as military operations intensified in central regions including Magway and Bago in recent days. But resistance groups have denounced the vote as fraudulent and called on the public to boycott the election, urging civilians not to cooperate with the process. After completing the first phase in late December, the military noted it would review security lapses and strengthen measures ahead of subsequent rounds. Phase 2 was held on January 11, with a final phase scheduled for January 25 in 63 townships, as fighting and displacement continue to shadow the polls.

Myanmar military launches airstrikes in Sagaing ahead of election phase two

Air attacks on villages in Chaung-U, Mingin and Wuntho townships killed one civilian and wounded at least 11 others as the junta pressed ahead with voting amid intensifying conflict

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