Thousands of civilians flee as junta raids ravage Magway villages

At least 15,000 people have fled their homes in Magway Region in recent days after junta forces launched raids and set fires across Myaing, Pakokku, and Pauk townships, according to local sources. Residents in the area say at least three villages in Pakokku Township were set ablaze during junta raids that began Sunday, after troops advanced from neighboring Nyaung U Township on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River. “Junta troops set fire to at least 30 houses in Myo Soe, Pauk Taw and Kyun Chaung Lay villages,” a resistance fighter from Pakokku Township told Myanmar Now. Since Sunday, at least five villages have been abandoned after junta forces advanced to Kyun Chuang, a small town on the western bank of the Ayeyarwady River, across from the ancient city of Bagan in Nyaung U Township, Mandalay Region. “Nearly 3,500 people from villages near Kyun Chaung have fled their homes,” said a local humanitarian worker based a few kilometers outside the area. “Some residents from Myit Chay have also been displaced.” A skirmish broke out in Kyun Chuang on Wednesday after resistance fighters moved in to secure the area, mistakenly believing junta troops had already withdrawn. One fighter was shot and killed as he entered the village. “He was shot in the head by a junta sniper while moving in to secure the area and died on the spot,” a resistance fighter from Pakokku Township told Myanmar Now. “He was the only one targeted among 15-20 resistance fighters present.” Clashes also broke out near Twin Ma and Hnan Si Kan villages on the border of Myaing and Pakokku townships on Wednesday as resistance forces intercepted junta troops advancing from Kamma, a small town in Pakokku Township, local sources said. “They departed from Kamma and arrived at Twin Ma on Tuesday,” a man from Myaing Township said, referring to the village held by the pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militia near the border of Myaing and Pakokku.At least five villages near Twin Ma in Myaing Township have been abandoned following the waves of junta soldiers. Pauk Township has seen some of the worst of the junta raids, with at least 10,000 fleeing for their lives after junta troops advanced from neighboring Seikphyu Township over the last few days.As fighting spread across the southern outskirts of Pauk, residents described an increasingly volatile situation, with roads cut off and food supplies running low. Local aid groups said most displaced families are sheltering where they can, but access to medical care and other essentials are sparse. “Junta columns are spreading across the area, advancing in multiple directions,” a humanitarian worker from Pauk Township said. “They are also firing heavy weapons, making it very difficult to find safe places to take cover.”

Thousands of civilians flee as junta raids ravage Magway villages

Entire villages have been abandoned as the junta continues to deliberately target civilian homes with violence

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