Myanmar resistance forces attack Chinese-backed mine in Sagaing’s Salingyi Township

Resistance forces attacked a compound at a Chinese-backed copper mine in Sagaing Region’s Salingyi Township late last week after a series of army raids on nearby villages, according to local sources. The attack, targeting junta troops stationed at the copper mine owned by China’s state-owned Wanbao Mining, took place on the evening of October 23, a resident of the area told Myanmar Now. “We heard artillery fire at around 8:30pm. I think the shells hit inside the compound. The power went out, and sirens started blaring,” the resident said, adding that the regime forces retaliated by shelling villages in the area. The extent of the damage to the compound was unknown at the time of reporting. It was also unclear if there were any casualties. At around 10am the next morning, two columns of junta soldiers and police carried out raids on villages located both east and west of the mine site, according to another man from the area. “People were on the move this morning [October 24] as one column advanced along the eastern side of the Wanbao mine. Villagers living on the western side also fled at the same time,” the man said. According to local residents, the attack on the compound came after days of raids by regime forces from the junta’s Northwestern Regional Military Command headquarters in Monywa. Those raids began on October 18 and also involved air and artillery attacks, resulting in several civilian casualties, sources said. Civilians used as human shields were reportedly among those killed. The mining project—a joint venture between Wanbao and Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited, a military-controlled conglomerate—yields millions of dollars in profits for the regime each year. After the coup in February 2021, many mine workers joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) to protest the military takeover. Despite calls from resistance forces to halt the project, the company has been trying to resume operations since last year. According to residents, the project is now operating at nearly full capacity following efforts to convince CDM workers to return to work, according to residents. Resistance forces began launching artillery strikes on the site from late August, as operations at the mine continued to pick up pace, sources said. Residents say that the company running the mine is increasingly involved in helping the military carry out operations in the surrounding area. “They provide the junta troops with lodging in their compound, supply food and rations, and even assist with artillery strikes and ammunition,” a local man said. “This company has been doing all of this, and we cannot accept it. If they want to protect their own interests, that’s one thing—but now, in addition to profit, they are complicit in threatening the lives, property, and livelihoods of residents in the surrounding areas,” he added. Thousands of residents from nearby villages—including Se Te, Zee Taw, Kyauk Hpyu Taing, Hpaung Ka Tar, and Yae Khar—have been displaced by the junta’s raids and are in urgent need of food and medical assistance, according to aid workers. “They are facing severe food shortages. We are doing everything we can to help, but challenges remain. With so many villages affected, people have insufficient shelter and are forced to live under trees. They also lack drinking water,” said a man assisting the displaced residents.

Myanmar resistance forces attack Chinese-backed mine in Sagaing’s Salingyi Township

The assault on troops stationed at the mine site came after days of raids by regime forces left several civilians dead, according to local sources

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