Over two dozen naval vessels moving up Ayeyarwady River from Mandalay

Some 25 gunboats, cargo ships, and other vessels departed from Mandalay’s port on the Ayeyarwady River early Thursday morning in what could signal a resumed junta offensive in Myanmar’s centre and north, according to locals and resistance sources. Mandalay residents said the flotilla began assembling at the city’s jetties near 35th Street at dawn, fully regrouping by mid-morning on Thursday before continuing upriver. “There were at least 25 boats in total,” a Mandalay resident told Myanmar Now. “A gunboat with mounted artillery was in the lead, followed by two green-painted troop transport ships, sand dredgers, landing craft, and tugboats—all fully loaded.” Soldiers were deployed along the riverfront in Mandalay to provide security during the vessels’ departure, according to civilians living in Mandalay’s western neighbourhoods near the river. The vessels were reportedly carrying around 900 troops along with rations, fuel, medical supplies and ammunition. A senior official from the People’s Defence Forces (PDF), the armed wing of the publicly mandated National Unity Government, said they had expected the deployment of ships on the Ayeyarwady, as rising water levels during the current monsoon season had made the river more navigable. “These troop movements are likely aimed at reinforcing junta units for renewed clashes with PDF forces in Thabeikkyin, which has been under our control,” the official said. “It will also help them hold onto Bhamo, a key Ayeyarwady River town that has been under siege by the Kachin Independence Army since last year.” Junta warships navigating the Chindwin River arrive in Kani Township in October 2023 (Photo - Chindwin Chitthaw) Battles in Mandalay Region Mandalay residents believe the flotilla is bringing reinforcements to areas north of Mandalay where clashes have intensified in recent weeks, namely Singu and Thabeikkyin townships—both strongholds of the PDF chapter based in Mandalay Region (MDY-PDF). Fighting has occurred in Thabeikkyin Township just a few miles east of the town, according to Ni Ni Kyaw, the general secretary of the resistance group People’s Liberation Army (PLA), a resistance group operating in Mandalay Region with a smaller membership than the PDF. Another source within the armed resistance said anti-junta fighters had been trying to repel advancing regime troops backed by air support since July 12, when several junta columns initiated their approach from several miles away, torching villages in their path. With the soldiers drawing closer, more civilians have fled their homes near 4-Mile Kan Thar village east of Thabeikkyin, according to a local woman. “There were already about 4,000 people who had been displaced from the Twin Nge area. Now with hundreds of people from around 4-Mile Kan Thar and those from other villages, there are probably close to 10,000 displaced people from all of Thabeikkyin Township,” she said. “They’re in nearby places where there’s no fighting. Moving from village to village. They’re suffering a lot. Some have had to flee to the forests.” Starting on Monday this week, the military has been conducting airstrikes on Thabeikkyin that have killed five children, according to local sources. The PLA and Ni Ni Kyaw, who spoke to Myanmar Now on Thursday, expect the naval convoy to support ongoing military manoeuvres around Thabeikkyin. “If they’re moving by river from Mandalay, it’s likely part of a broader push to regain territory,” the PLA leader said. “We’ve seen drone strikes and artillery support from boats before—this could be another big push.” A threat to civilians This is not the first attempt by the military junta to supply and reinforce its frontline troops via water routes. Other flotillas of gunboats and supply ships, which the junta sent north from Mandalay last year and the year before, came under fire from resistance fighters and responded by shelling villages near the riverbank. Dozens of civilians were reportedly killed and homes destroyed in these operations. “They fired indiscriminately along the riverbanks,” said a woman from Katha, Sagaing Region, around 160 miles upriver from Mandalay. “Many homes in the town were destroyed by the artillery.” Resistance forces launched coordinated attacks on junta naval convoys navigating the Ayeyarwady last year, setting fire to several vessels and forcing others to retreat. This year, anti-junta fighters have again warned villagers along the Ayeyarwady to prepare for renewed clashes and seek shelter in safer areas farther from banks. As the vessels set out from Mandalay on Thursday, resistance groups active near the river have begun fortifying their positions, digging bunkers, and preparing for air and artillery attacks. The junta has been trying to exert full control over the Ayeyarwady corridor since mid-2023. In September of that year, troops advanced into areas north of Mandalay, reopening river access for military operations. The military has also used the Chindwin River, the Ayeyarwady’s largest tributary, to transport arms and reinforcements into Sagaing Region and Kachin State, especially during the monsoon season when the waterways are navigable for larger vessels. Resistance fighters operating near the rivers have often ambushed these convoys using long-range rifles and improvised explosives, and junta forces usually respond with heavy shelling, targeting civilian areas indiscriminately and sometimes causing the displacement of entire riverside communities. Anti-junta fighters watch as junta forces pilot warships into Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region (Photo: People’s Servants Revolutionary Organisation)

Over two dozen naval vessels moving up Ayeyarwady River from Mandalay

Junta ships carrying arms, ammunition, medicine, other supplies, and soldiers are now heading upriver towards resistance strongholds in Thabeikkyin, Singu, and Myanmar’s north

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