Military outpost seized in Karen State’s Hpapun
The Karen National Union (KNU) told DVB that its armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), seized control of the regime’s Kabawtu outpost in Karen State’s Hpapun Township, known as Mutraw by the KNU, on Saturday. Hpapun, located 110 miles (177 km) north of the Karen State capital Hpa-An, is in KNU Brigade 5 territory.
Kler Doh, the KNU Brigade 5 spokesperson, told DVB that seven military outposts remain under regime control in Brigade 5 territory in northern Karen State, adding that the KNLA and its allied resistance forces are facing daily airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force. No casualties have been reported by the KNU. The regime in Naypyidaw doesn’t report military casualty figures.
Kler Doh claimed that the remaining seven regime outposts have been “besieged” by KNLA-led resistance forces, with Burma Air Force jets airdropping food, medicine and ammunition to regime forces stationed inside. Min Aung Hlaing, inaugurated as Burma’s president by a pro-military parliament on April 10, placed Karen’s Kawkareik and Kyainseikgyi townships under martial law on April 23.
EU extends sanctions against Myanmar until 2027
The E.U. on Monday extended its sanctions against Burma until at least May 2027, in an effort to maintain pressure on Min Aung Hlaing’s regime more than five years after he led a coup that ousted the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and placed her in detention on Feb. 1, 2021.
“The E.U. reiterates its strongest condemnation of the actions taken by the Myanmar military since the 2021 coup,” it stated, citing what it described as continuing grave human rights violations and widespread restrictions on fundamental freedoms. It called for an end to all violence and the release of people who have been arbitrarily detained.
The E.U. continues to withhold direct financial assistance to the regime in Naypyidaw. These measures include asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo for 105 individuals and 22 entities, which have been imposed since the 2021 coup and the subsequent military crackdown on opposition to the coup in Burma. Read more
UN expert slams global inaction in final report
Tom Andrews, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma, issued an urgent call for the international community to step up justice and accountability efforts since the 2021 coup in his final report, titled From Impunity to Justice.
“The international community has done far too little to support those seeking justice and accountability,” said Andrews. “For the people of Myanmar, justice delayed is justice denied.” He called for international justice mechanisms to prosecute the military for crimes in Burma.
Andrews explicitly condemned the U.N. Security Council’s ongoing refusal to refer the crisis in Burma to the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling the failure an “abdication of responsibility and an indictment of the world’s commitment to justice.” Read more
Read our latest DVB English News op-ed: Written in Beijing, pitched in Washington, welcomed in Bangkok
News by Region
SHAN—One civilian and seven People’s Defense Force (PDF) members, including PDF leader “Aung Min,” were killed in southern Shan’s Pekon Township during a shootout between his PDF and members of a new resistance unit called “Alpha Zone 1” in Moebye town on Friday, sources told DVB.
“This infighting hurts people’s confidence in the resistance,” a Moebye resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. “Alpha Zone 1” was formed by the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) under the command of the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC) on April 20. Read more
SAGAING—Residents in Chaung-U, Ayardaw, and Depayin townships told DVB that at least 100 homes and shelters were destroyed by rain and wind on April 25. The three towns are located 14-50 miles (22-80 km) southeast, northeast, and northwest of the region’s capital Monywa.
A Chaung-U resident told DVB that those displaced from their homes due to conflict, who are living temporarily at Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, are in need of urgent food and shelter materials. IDPs in Chaung-U, Ayardaw and Depayin rely on assistance for basic needs.
MAGWAY—Residents of Saw Township told DVB that over 200 regime troops arrived in Kangyi village, located along the Saw-Mindat road which leads into Arakan State, on Sunday. Saw, located 163 miles (263 km) northwest of the region’s capital Magway, is partially controlled by the PDF.
A trader from neighbouring Arakan State told DVB that all trade between Magway’s Saw and Chin State’s Mindat Township has stopped. Residents have relied on trade from India, via Chin, into Arakan and Magway since a military blockade began after the Arakan Army (AA) launched an offensive in 2023.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,200 MMK)
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