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Arakan Army and military fighting near Rakhine State; Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army still holds Lashio

Arakan Army and military fighting near Rakhine State

The Arakan Army (AA) announced on Monday that intense fighting between it and the military is taking place near Arakan State in areas bordering Bago, Magway and Ayeyarwady regions. The AA added that it has been engaged in battle with Light Infantry Divisions 88 and 99, along with troops from the weapons factories in Magway Region, since Jan. 11. 

“The military’s offensive in the Arakan Yoma [Rakhine Mountain Range], as well as Bago and Magway regions, seems to be to protect its weapons factories and to regain control of the Western Regional Military Command. They are likely attempting to secure the factories by establishing defensive lines near the Bago and Magway borders [with Arakan],” said a political analyst on the condition of anonymity. 

The regime’s Directorate of Defence Industries (DDI) operates 25 weapons factories with 15 located in Magway Region and seven in Bago Region. The AA claimed that the military has suffered significant casualties and has retreated several times from the frontline in Arakan. This has left behind numerous dead soldiers, along with their weapons, ammunition and supplies. 

Fighting between the AA and the military in Arakan is happening in Kamingan (Kammyinkan), Paneyaysan, and Kyakyesan villages of Ann Township, as well as along the Ann-Padan road which connects Arakan to Magway. In Ayeyarwady, fighting was reported at Point 369 Hill near Chinsu village of Yekyi Township. The AA has 14 out of 17 Arkan townships under its control. The state capital Sittwe, the vital port town of Kyaukphyu, and the island of Manaung remain under regime control.  

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army still holds Lashio

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) told DVB that retreating from Lashio Township was not outlined in the China-brokered ceasefire agreement it signed with the regime in Naypyidaw on Jan. 18. Lashio is located 107 miles (172 km) south of the Burma-China border town of Muse, in northern Shan State, and 243 miles (391 km) north of the Shan State capital Taunggyi in southern Shan.

“We have not received any order to retreat and continue to remain in Lashio. The town is operating normally,” an MNDAA source told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Rumors of the MNDAA retreating from Lashio spread on social media after it signed the ceasefire with the regime, which walked out of the first-round of talks last month because the MNDAA refused to relinquish control of Lashio.

The MNDAA took full control of Lashio after it seized the Northeastern Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters on Aug. 3. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the ceasefire between the regime and the MNDAA after both sides met for a second round of talks in Kunming on Jan. 16. No details of the ceasefire agreement have been reported by regime media. 

News by Region 

Kanan village in Khampat town of Tamu Township, Sagaing Region, was hit by an airstrike on Jan. 16. (Credit: CJ)

SAGAING—Another airstrike was carried out by the Burma Air Force on Khampat town of Tamu Township on Monday, BBC reported. This is the second airstrike on Khampat, located 242 miles (389 km) northwest of the regional capital Sagaing, since the National Unity Government (NUG) announced plans to establish its first ministerial offices in Sagaing. 

“Two fighter jets dropped bombs,” said an anonymous source in Khampat. Phone and internet services have been disrupted, so the number of casualties is unknown. On Jan. 16, airstrikes on Khampat town and Kanan village killed two, including an infant, with at least seven injured. Khampat, located near the Burma-India border, has been under NUG control since November 2023.

SHAN—The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) stated that a woman was killed, two others were injured, and two buildings were destroyed by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Nawnghkio town, on Tuesday. Nawnghkio is located 75 miles (121 km) northeast of Mandalay in northern Shan State. 

“An elderly woman was killed instantly as the bombs landed twice onto an administration office,” a Nawnghkio resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Some Nawnghkio residents, who had fled their homes due to fighting, returned to the town while others are sheltering temporarily in the fields outside of town. Nawnghkio came under TNLA control on July 10.  

KACHIN—Two civilians, including a Chinese national, were killed when the Burma Army dropped bombs from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also known as a drone, on a banana plantation along the Myitkyina-Bhamo Road in Waingmaw Township, located 17 miles (28 km) east of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina, on Monday.

“The military thought there were [Kachin Independence Army] soldiers there, so they conducted a drone strike,” a Waingmaw resident told DVB. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and its allied resistance groups, launched an offensive to take the southern Kachin city of Bhamo, 105 miles (169 km) south of Myitkyina, on Dec. 4. The KIA launched its statewide offensive against the regime on March 7.  

NAYPYIDAW—Regime Minister of Information Maung Maung Ohn said on Tuesday that the media should not cover news that could be deemed harmful to the military. He said that all forces resisting the regime, which seized power after the 2021 coup, are considered “terrorist groups.” He added that legal action will be taken against anyone caught supporting them. 

The regime has banned the publication of 10 books with “obscene content” for LGBTQ+ themes. It has threatened to prosecute online content creators for sharing videos that may be deemed harmful to Burmese culture. The publishing licenses of at least 11 book publishers, 15 media outlets, eight printing services, and one magazine, have been revoked by the regime since 2021. 

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