NUG-affiliated resistance forces clash during raid, killing seven

A raid and shootout involving resistance forces affiliated with the National Unity Government (NUG) left seven people dead, including two civilians, in Sagaing Region’s Monywa Township, officials with the NUG said. The incident occurred on Monday night when battalions of the People’s Defence Force (PDF), operating under the NUG’s Ministry of Defence, raided a former People’s Security Organisation (PSO) camp, a sub-township security post, and a nearby public area, according to Kyaw Ni, the NUG’s deputy minister for home affairs and immigration. Kyaw Ni said the operation was carried out by forces under PDF Battalion 22 and was not authorised by the NUG’s central leadership. “It is certain that it was not due to orders from above,” Kyaw Ni told Myanmar Now. According to the deputy minister, five PSO members and two civilians were killed. He said the dead included Ar Kuu, the head of the Monywa Township PSO, while a sub-township PSO officer was injured. No arrests were made. The circumstances surrounding the raid remain under investigation. NUG Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Nay Phone Latt also said the operation was not conducted under instructions from the resistance movement’s chain of command. “We have preliminary information that this was not carried out under instructions from successive levels of military departments,” Nay Phone Latt said. He said the NUG military headquarters is handling the case and will conduct an investigation and take appropriate action. The People’s Security Organisation operates under the NUG’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration and performs policing functions in areas under resistance control, while the People’s Defence Force is overseen by the Ministry of Defence. Myanmar Now sought comment from several resistance battalions as well as civilian administrators in Monywa Township, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Kyaw Ni said there appeared to have been tensions between local PDF units and the township PSO but that central authorities had not been aware of them. “This is an incident that should not have happened,” Kyaw Ni said. “Since the perpetrators are forces under the government, we apologise to the public.” He said the NUG would work with relevant organisations to strengthen political education among resistance members and take steps to prevent similar incidents. The shooting follows another recent deadly internal incident within the resistance movement. On June 26, a battalion commander from Yinmabin District Battalion 6 was fatally shot at the Yinmabin District Command Office. The NUG has said the suspected shooter and the district commander have been detained while the case is under investigation.

NUG-affiliated resistance forces clash during raid, killing seven

The operation by PDF forces that led to the incident was not authorised by the NUG’s central leadership, senior officials said

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