Offensive by junta-allied Shanni group displaces over 1,000 in Kachin State

Over 1,000 residents of the Indawgyi area in Kachin State’s Mohnyin Township have fled their homes since Tuesday due to raids by the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), an ethnic armed group currently fighting alongside the Myanmar military, locals said. The SNA launched a broad ground offensive on July 14 targeting the villages of Mong Nawng and Ma Mon Kaing south of Indawgyi Lake and around 20 miles north of Mohnyin, controlled by the anti-junta forces of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and its allies. Two fighters were killed and four were wounded among the KIA-led forces in the ensuing clashes last week, according to a local resident. The KIA and their allies withdrew, allowing SNA fighters to conduct raids in the area on July 15, firing small arms and heavy weapons as they entered the villages, he said. He added that as SNA forces took control, they arrested and interrogated villagers about their connections to the KIA as well as locking up civilians’ homes. “Residents of Mong Nawng and Ma Mon Kaing villages—whether Kachin, Shan, or Bamar—all had to flee. The day after the KIA and their allies withdrew, the Shanni forces came in threatening violence, occupying and locking up Kachin residents’ houses,” the resident said. With the SNA continuing to fire on villagers fleeing the area, one civilian reportedly suffered a gunshot wound and two were injured by artillery. “They fired guns into the villages, destroying some houses, and when they destroyed them, the villagers got scared and ran away. Then they shot at those who were fleeing. Everyone was in a panic, and now they’ve fled and joined the displaced,” the village resident said. At least five residents were confirmed to have sustained injuries between July 22 and 24 in Mong Nawng and Ma Mon Kaing. There were also reportedly some deaths and arrests, although the numbers have yet to be verified. Myanmar Now attempted to reach SNA spokespersons Col. Hsur Sai Tun and Col. Sai Aung Meim by phone with queries regarding the allegations that the SNA arrested locals and destroyed homes, but they were not answering calls. Residents of the two villages near Indawgyi Lake have continued to flee and seek shelter in safer, neighbouring villages, according to some local sources. Most are fleeing from the southern tip of Indawgyi Lake, where the two villages are located, to the lake’s eastern and western shores areas, according to resident of the Indawgyi area in his 50s. Some people displaced by the war have resorted to setting up camp in the forests around their villages, as the military and allied SNA fighters have blocked roads leading to Mohnyin, Hopin, Hpakant, and other towns and villages where they might find longer-term shelter. The KIA and its allies gained control of the Indawgyi-Hpakant road in January 2024, also taking over Mong Nawng and Ma Mon Kaing villages shortly afterwards. Starting in May of this year, the Myanmar junta has been fighting to regain control of the road and area around Indawgyi Lake, deploying the SNA and pro-junta militias as shock troops. Myanmar Now has yet to reach KIA spokesperson Col. Naw Bu for detailed comments on the battlefield situation and the displacement of civilians in the Indawgyi area. The SNA was first established in 1989 and is historically based in upper Sagaing Region and Kachin State. The group has previously fought both the Myanmar military and its adversaries—particularly the KIA—but has consistently cooperated with regime forces since Myanmar’s 2021 coup.

Offensive by junta-allied Shanni group displaces over 1,000 in Kachin State

Manoeuvres by the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), which is fighting against the Kachin Independence Army and its allies, have driven civilians from the villages of Mong Nawng and Ma Mon Kaing near Indawgyi Lake in Mohnyin Township

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