The civilian-led National Unity Government (NUG) runs what it calls in Burmese “Pa-Thone-Lone,” or three pa’s, which are present in 188 townships nationwide. The People’s Administration Teams, (pa-ah-pa), the People’s Security Teams (pa-la-pa), and the People’s Defense Teams (pa-kha-pa). The death of a 16-year-old in Wetlet Towship of Sagaing Region has led the All Burma Federation of Students Union (ABFSU) to denounce “undocumented civilian deaths” and “acts of cruelty” in areas under NUG control.
What’s happening in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region? Pt. 3
Military regime calls on resistance groups to abandon violence and take ‘political path’ in planned elections
The military regime in Naypyidaw called on ethnic armed groups and the People’s Defense Force (PDF), which have united to resist the 2021 coup, to abandon violence and take the “political path” as a part of its planned elections tentatively scheduled for November 2025, regime media reported on Thursday.
This unexpected offer from the regime comes after the military has suffered unprecedented losses on the battlefield at the hands of anti-coup resistance groups since the Brotherhood Alliance launched Operation 1027 on Oct. 27.
The regime has declared the PDF and the Brotherhood Alliance members, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA), as terrorist organizations.
Under Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law any person or group making contact with, or being a member of, an organization deemed “terrorist” can face up to two years in prison or a fine up to the equivalent of $60,000 USD.
Even though the regime invited the PDF to participate in the dialogue, it made no mention of Myanmar’s civilian-led National Unity Government (NUG), a group of elected lawmakers, ethnic nationality leaders, and resistance groups, which claim they are prepared to return the country to its democratic path and make it a more inclusive federal democratic union.
“It is merely an attempt to manipulate the political situation and gain international recognition. This is just an effort to divide the revolutionary forces as the military is facing losses nationwide,” Kyaw Zaw, the NUG spokesperson, told DVB.
Aung San Myint, a secretary with the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), told DVB that Karenni resistance forces will not accept any election that is held under the 2008 constitution, which enshrines the military’s political supremacy into law.
The Karen National Union (KNU), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and the Bamar People’s Liberation Army (BPLA) – founded in opposition to the 2021 coup – have also declined the regime’s invitation to join its planned election.
Despite the military’s overtures, it has intensified airstrikes on areas controlled by resistance groups nationwide, as ordered by regime leader Min Aung Hlaing on a visit earlier this month to the Shan State capital Taunggyi.
DVB data reported that between Sept. 9-18, a total of 31 airstrikes killed 64 and injured 26 civilians in six out of 12 townships targeted over the nine days. This occurred while regime media called for a temporary ceasefire during the nationwide response to floods and landslides caused by the remnants of Typhoon Yagi, which struck Myanmar on Sept. 9.
The military has also been planning to launch counter offensives to regain control of territory it lost to the Brotherhood Alliance and other ethnic armed resistance groups across the country, especially in Shan, Kachin, Karen, Karenni and Arakan states.
Most of Myanmar’s major political parties – including the National League for Democracy (NLD) party led by Aung San Suu Kyi – have declined to participate in a regime-run election and have thus been dissolved by the Union Election Commission (UEC). Political analysts have told DVB that Naypyidaw views an election as a way to legitimize military rule.
“The [regime] cannot be trusted at all, not after the daily atrocities since the coup. But this puts the [ethnic armed groups] and NUG in an invidious position,” said David Mathieson, an independent analyst on Myanmar’s conflict. “War weariness is rising across many communities.”
Nan Lwin, a Myanmar-China expert at the think tank Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP Myanmar), told DVB that the military likely made the offer to resistance groups partly due to pressure from Beijing.
“China has urged the [regime] to address political deadlock [and] has encouraged holding elections, particularly emphasizing the inclusion of all possible political parties. China appears to view the [Naypyidaw] statement as a step towards their proposal,” added Nan Lwin.
A 2024 survey conducted by the Singapore-based research group ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute with people inside Myanmar found that 76 percent of the respondents do not believe that elections will end Myanmar’s crisis. Over 76 percent of those surveyed stated that they did not intend to vote in any regime-run election.
Myanmar’s decades-long conflict has significantly escalated since the military overthrew the NLD government. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint have been jailed and held incommunicado by the regime since the coup on Feb. 1, 2021.
Nada Al-Nashif, the U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday that the crisis in Myanmar unfolding since 2021 is “an abyss of human suffering.”
Protesters in the US call on China to engage with resistance, including National Unity Government
A Washington, D.C.-based group called Save Myanmar held a protest in front of China’s embassy in the U.S. capital and delivered a letter addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping, urging Beijing to “engage significantly” with ethnic armed groups and Myanmar’s civilian-led National Unity Government (NUG), on Thursday.
“The Chinese Embassy is no longer ignoring us like before. Now they are paying attention, and they even recorded videos of us,” Yin Aye, a member of Save Myanmar, told DVB. The letter outlined five key demands, including a call for China to use its influence to help restore democracy in Myanmar, support for human rights, an immediate end to all aid to the military, and humanitarian aid sent to people in conflict-affected areas of the country, especially those under military control.
Pro-democracy groups have increasingly criticized China since Beijing issued a letter to the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) to cease its offensive and conducted military exercises at four locations along the 1,370 mile (2,204 km) long China-Myanmar border last month, where it had also closed border gates adjacent to areas under the control of ethnic armed groups in Kachin and Shan states.
China’s Embassy in Myanmar issued a statement on Sept. 14 defending its policies towards Myanmar and denying accusations that Beijing was interfering with the country’s internal affairs. China has reportedly pledged support for Naypyidaw’s planned election, tentatively scheduled for November 2025.
Briefing: Flood death toll continues to rise nationwide; UN Human Rights Council told that Myanmar is ‘an abyss of human suffering’
DVB English News Weekly Briefing for Sept. 27, 2024. In this week’s briefing: Flood death toll continues to rise nationwide; UN Human Rights Council told that Myanmar is ‘an abyss of human suffering’; And ‘Ek Khaale’ the Rohingya visual storytelling project and historical narraitve; Plus, the National Unity Government (NUG) Foreign Affairs Minister Zin Mar Aung speaks to DVB Newsroom.
At least 13 killed by airstrikes on southern Arakan State’s Thandwe; Flood death toll continues to rise
At least 13 killed by airstrikes on southern Arakan State’s Thandwe
Thirteen Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), including children, were killed and 25 others were injured during airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Thandwe Township on Thursday. The southern Arakan State town came under the control of the Arakan Army (AA) on July 16.
“Two fighter jets attacked the City Hall and a government office where the IDPs are sheltering. Thirteen people have been killed so far,” a Thandwe resident told DVB. Two were killed and seven were injured in an airstrike on Kangyidaung village in Myebon Township, located southeast of the Arakan State capital Sittwe, on Wednesday.
A human right activist based in Arakan State accused the military of “committing war crimes” by targeting civilians and called on the international community to take action to prevent further airstrikes. Nearly 30 civilians have been killed and around 50 have been injured by airstrikes across Arakan since last week.
Detained Rohingya leader family calls for his release
The family of Dil Mohammed, a 58-year-old Rohingya refugee, called for his immediate release from detention in Bangladesh and filed a case with the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), via his lawyer Haydee Dijkstal, last week. Dil Mohammed has been held by Bangladesh authorities since January 2023.
“I want freedom for my father, and I want these false and baseless charges against him to be dismissed,” said Dil Mohammed’s son Mohammed You Ha. Bangladesh officials accuse Mohammed of being a member of a group that killed a police officer in November 2022. Dijkstal claims that his client was not notified of the charges against him during the time of his arrest and was first brought before a judge on May 30, 2023.
Dijkstal adds that Mohammed has been subject to solitary confinement, interrogations without legal representation, and other human rights abuses since his arrest. Mohammed fled his home in northern Arakan State to the Burma-Bangladesh border’s “No Man’s Land” during a 2017 military crackdown that killed thousands of Rohingya civilians and led to the exodus of over 700,000 refugees to Bangladesh, where nearly one million live in squalid camps.
Flood death toll continues to rise
Regime media reported on Wednesday that 419 people have been killed by landslides and flooding in 54 townships since the remnants of Typhoon Yagi arrived on Sept. 9. Mandalay and eastern Bago regions, southern Shan and Karen states, and Naypyidaw were the areas of the country most affected.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) stated that an estimated 887,000 people, including IDPs, in 65 townships have been impacted. Nearly 100 injuries have also been reported. The regime went on to state that 533 roads and bridges, 435 religious buildings, 99 telecommunication towers and 735,461 acres of paddy fields were damaged.
The E.U. announced that it will provide $1.3 million USD in flood relief efforts, while Norway has contributed $500,000 USD. The Irrawaddy reported that groups assisting flood survivors are being threatened by regime officials with prosecution under the Counter-Terrorism Law if donations are sent to areas under the control of anti-coup resistance groups.
News by Region
BAGO—A civilian died from injuries caused by a landmine in Yengan village of Letpadan Township, located around 89 miles (143 km) northwest of the Bago Region capital, on Wednesday. He stepped on the landmine on Tuesday and was unable to receive medical care due to military roadblocks not allowing anyone in or out of the village.
“Everyone in the village fled since the military began an offensive last month. They took everything from us. They planted landmines and set fire to homes before they left,” a Yengan resident told DVB. Fighting between the People’s Defense Force (PDF) and the military broke out in Yengan village on Aug. 24.
MANDALAY— Two people were killed by an airstrike carried out by the Air Force on Myaytaing village in Ngazun Township, located around 41 miles (66 km) southwest of Mandalay, on Sept. 24. “We heard the sound, and then two bombs dropped, followed by another set,” a Ngazun resident told DVB.
“There was no fighting near the village and the PDF does not have a presence there,” said a Ngazun PDF spokesperson. Fifteen civilians were killed and nearly 20 others were injured during previous airstrikes on Ngnmyar village in Ngazun Township on Sept. 20-21.
MAGWAY—The Pwintbyu PDF warned on Wednesday that it would take action against anyone assisting the regime in its household and population census in Pwintbyu Township. The regime will carry out its census Oct, 1-15.
“I am completely opposed to any election held without the will of the people,” a Pwintbyu PDF spokesperson told DVB. Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing said that elections are tentatively scheduled – after a census is completed – in November 2025.
The National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Defense ordered three battalions of the Yaw PDF to return its weapons by Sept. 24. It issued the order two days prior. The PDF is under the command of the NUG.
“I think it is disrespectful to our organization,” Lu Hla, the Yaw PDF spokesperson told DVB. He added that it received four firearms from the NUG and did not use them improperly. The Yaw PDF requested an explanation from the NUG.
SHAN—The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) claimed that four civilians were killed and three others were seriously injured by airstrikes carried out by the Air Force in Hsipaw Township, located around 47 miles (76 km) southwest of Lashio, on Monday. An unknown number of buildings were damaged.
The military has intensified airstrikes on towns occupied by the Brotherhood Alliance, which includes the TNLA, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the AA. At least one person was killed and 18 others were injured by airstrikes on Lashio, which is under MNDAA control, Sept. 24-25. The MNDAA stated that the “continuous airstrikes are hindering [Lashio]’s recovery.”
Factions of the Chin resistance reach preliminary peace deal brokered in northeast India
Representatives of the two factions of the Chin resistance participated in peace negotiations brokered by the civil society group Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) and the Mizoram State government, in the capital Aizawl, on Monday.
Officials from the Chinland Council, which includes the Chin National Front (CNF/CNA), as well as the Interim Chin National Consultative Council (ICNCC), which includes the Chin Brotherhood, attended the talks.
The Chinland Council and the Chin Brotherhood, which are the two factions of the anti-coup resistance in Chinland, agreed to resolve disputes non-violently. Mizo and Chin people are known collectively as the Zo ethnic nationality.
“ZORO expressed the urgent need for peace as a result of the recent incident of lives lost between us,” said ZORO General Secretary L. Ramdinliana Renthlei, who claimed that the Indian government in New Delhi tacitly supported the peace efforts.
ZORO oversaw a previous peace agreement between the CNF and the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA), another ethnic armed group based in northern Chinland, on July 27.
The peace agreement last week came after fighting took place between the Chin National Army – which serves as the armed wing of the CNF-led Chinland Council – and the Chin Brotherhood in Matupi Township of southern Chinland, in June.
The Chin Brotherhood, which primarily operates in southern Chinland, claimed that two of its members were killed during the fighting.
According to the preliminary agreement, the parties also agreed to not encroach on each other’s liberated territory, recognize the shared culture between ethnic nationalities in Chinland, and to continue to participate in talks organized by ZORO.
“It aims to prevent misunderstandings between the Chin armed groups and to resolve disputes that occurred during the Spring Revolution,” Salai Htet Ni, the CNF spokesperson told DVB. He added that the CNA and Chin Brotherhood need to establish a mutual understanding in order to discuss cooperation in military operations in the future.
“The five-point agreement doesn’t amount to much, but of course it is a good start. It is good when both parties meet,” Salai Yaw Mang, the Chin Brotherhood spokesperson, told DVB.
The two factions of the Chin resistance plan to establish a peace committee to resolve disputes during a follow up meeting that will be held at an unspecified date later this year. Salai Htet Ni said that the Chinland Council and the ICNCC, which are the two leading anti-military councils in the state, did not reach a political agreement during the first round of talks.
The ICNCC was formed by resistance groups – including the CNF – as well as civil society organizations, and elected members of parliament, to build a political framework for Chinland in 2021. It was formed in response to the 2021 military coup.
The CNF and its allied resistance groups left the ICNCC over internal disputes and went on to form the Chinland Council in December 2023.
The Chin National Organization, the Zomi Federal Union, and the Chin National Council Mindat refused to join the Chinland Council over disagreements regarding various articles of its Chinland Constitution, including one that declares the CNA as the only armed force representing the Chin people.
The Chin Brotherhood was formed in response on Dec. 30, 2023. It remains affiliated with the ICNCC. Members of the Chin Brotherhood have also accused the Chinland Council of failing to conform to democratic standards as the body is dominated by the CNF and the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which is led by jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
The CNF was formed in 1988 and seeks autonomy for the ethnic Chin people. It signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the military in 2015 but it abandoned it shortly after the coup on Feb. 1, 2021.
