Four civilians killed after People’s Defense Force attack in Sagaing
Residents of Kalay Township in Sagaing Region told DVB that four civilians were killed, one was injured, and a member of a pro-military militia was arrested after the People’s Defense Force (PDF) attacked a regime outpost in Hnawnyaungpin village in the township on Tuesday. Kalay is located 144 miles (232 km) northwest of the region’s capital Monywa.
“The shootout carried on for over one-and-a-half hours. The people who were killed in the fighting were local men who had been instructed to guard the post,” a resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Regime forces from Kalay town retaliated with two rounds of artillery and its troops entered the village following the PDF attack.
No casualties have been reported and the extent of the damage in Hnawnyaungpin village is unknown. The National Unity Government (NUG) declared a two-week pause in PDF operations starting March 30, except in self-defence against regime attacks. Naypyidaw announced its own ceasefire from April 2-22. Both were in response to the earthquake on March 28.
Chin resistance forces seize Falam Township
Residents of Falam Township told DVB on Tuesday that the Chin Brotherhood took control of the town following its seizure of the regime’s remaining Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 268, a strategically important outpost in northern Chinland. Falam is located 68 miles (109 km) north of the state capital Hakha.
“Clearance operations [in Falam] are ongoing,” a source close to the Chin Brotherhood told Khonumthung News. The Chin Brotherhood launched its offensive to take Falam in November. The fall of Chinland’s second largest town to resistance forces means all that’s left under regime control is Hakha, Thantlang and Tedim.
Chin resistance forces control 14 townships in Chinland, including the Burma-India border town of Rihkhawdar. Paletwa Township in southern Chinland, 199 miles (321 km) south of Hakha, was seized by the Arakan Army (AA) in January 2024. The AA supported the Chin Brotherhood during its seizure of Kanpetlet and Mindat townships in December.
Four regime airstrikes reported this month in Mandalay Region
The PDF in Mandalay Region has accused the regime of carrying out airstrikes on Thabeikkyin, Singu, Madaya and Mogok townships after the runway at Mandalay International Airport was repaired on April 4. The airport is located in Tada-U Township 39 miles (62 km) south of the city, and 10 miles (16 km) south of Sagaing, the epicenter of the earthquake.
“I noted a jet fighter take off from Tada-U airport on April 4. It attacked the village near the seven-mile mark of Thabeikkyin. Then, there was another aircraft attacking Thila village in Singu on the same day,” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. No casualties were reported in either attack. It added that the regime has been continuing its attacks after the ceasefire on April 2.
Madaya, Singu, Thabeikkyin and Mogok are located 61-152 miles (98-244 km) north of Tada-U. Mogok, famous for its ruby mines, came under Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) control on July 24. The TNLA confirmed the attack on Mogok but reported there were no casualties. Read more.
News by Region
SAGAING—The PDF, along with its allied resistance forces, reported they had seized Indaw town, which borders Kachin State, after capturing the remaining regime outpost on a hill locally known as Japan Cave, in Indaw Township on Monday. Indaw is located 209 miles (336 km) north of Monywa.
“There were fatalities on both sides,” a PDF member told DVB. But the exact number of casualties wasn’t disclosed. It added that PDF-led resistance forces launched an assault on a regime column emerging from the cave on April 1, which eventually led to the fall of the outpost seven days later. Read more.
KACHIN—The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) announced on Tuesday that its court had sentenced a man to death on March 29 for murdering three children he allegedly kidnapped from a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Laiza, the KIO headquarters.
The KIO claimed the man demanded a ransom of 300,000 Chinese Yuan ($41,047 USD) for three girls between the ages of 10 and 11 on Feb. 22. The children’s bodies were recovered on Feb. 27. The man had been released by the KIO on Feb. 12 after serving three years for illegal weapons trading.
A source close to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Bhamo Township told DVB on the condition of anonymity that regime airstrikes have been carried out daily on the KIA in southern Kachin State. Bhamo is located 120 miles (193 km) south of Myitkyina. The KIA offensive to seize Bhamo began on Dec. 4.
ARAKAN—Kyaukphyu Township residents reported that fighting between the AA and regime forces took place on Monday despite the aforementioned regime ceasefire. A source close to the AA told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the regime used jets, drones, and motorized paragliders.
Artillery fired by the Burma Navy reportedly killed two people and injured seven on March 31. The AA, along with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), announced its ceasefire from April 1-30. Kyaukphyu is located 315 miles (506 km) south of the state capital Sittwe.
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