Read RFA coverage of this story in Burmese.
Fighting is raging in central Myanmar’s Mandalay region as the military launches offensives against areas controlled by anti-regime forces, and tens of thousands of civilians have fled from their homes, according to rebels and residents.
The junta is trying to retake Madaya and Thabeikkyin townships — two areas taken over by People’s Defense Forces, or PDFs — pro-democracy militias operating under the joint command of the shadow National Unity Government and ethnic minority insurgent groups, a member of the Mandalay PDF said.
“Fighting is occurring in areas of Madaya town almost every day on the front lines,” the PDF member told Radio Free Asia. “They are also attacking villages one after another, using drones.”
Madaya is 25 kilometers, or 15 miles, up the Irrawaddy River to the north of Mandalay city. The junta offensive came after its troops fortified positions to both the east and west of the town.
“Junta forces have retaken more areas under our control,” said the member of the Mandalay PDF, who declined to be identified for safety reasons.
The junta spokesman for Mandalay region, Thein Htay, did not respond to a request for comment on the situation.
Since Tuesday, junta forces have advanced in the areas around Pha Yaung Taung, Htan Pin Kone and Myo Kone villages in eastern Madaya town, the Mandalay PDF said in a statement on Wednesday.
This latest assault is part of a renewed push by the junta that began late last year to reclaim strategic regions in Mandalay, a logistical hub in Myanmar’s heartland, while attempting to crush opposition to the 2021 military coup that ended a decade of tentative reform.
In November, the junta launched a major offensive with ground, navy and air forces targeting villages west of Madaya, forcing the pro-democracy fighters to surrender control over some areas. More than 20,000 people from at least 15 villages affected by the fighting have gone into hiding, residents estimated.
“The junta controls a significant portion of the area in Madaya but our resistance forces are constantly fighting them,” the Mandalay PDF member said.
RELATED STORIES
Myanmar forces raze villages near Mandalay after insurgents withdraw
Junta’s push to retake towns in Myanmar heartland prompts fierce fighting
Thousands flee fighting in Myanmar’s heartland
Myanmar junta steps up security in Mandalay as fighting spreads across region
Before launching ground offensives, junta troops conducted heavy airstrikes in Thabeikkyin, Singu and Madaya townships, from Jan. 2.
Anti-junta forces have retreated from Twin Nge village in Thabeikkyin township, which has over 1,000 homes, while fighting persists as the junta attacks the Seven Mile and Kyauk Gyi villages in Thabeikkyin, which are under PDF control.
The junta has been shelling villages in Madaya almost daily, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee from at least 10 villages in the eastern part of the township.
Displaced residents, who are taking refuge in safe villages or sheltering in the bush by their fields, are in urgent need of assistance, though some have received blankets, jackets and medicine from administrative officials, said a Madaya resident, who asked not to be named for safety reasons.
“Heavy weapons hit the eastern and western parts of the town every day,” he said.
The resident said there were casualties among villagers although there has been no recent tally as fighting is still going on.
According to earlier RFA reports, at least 18 people were killed and 10 wounded in Madaya during the first week of December, four people were killed and eight injured in the second week and at least three were killed in the third week.
The military faced unprecedented setbacks in an offensive allied groups launched on Oct. 27, 2023, losing control of many areas in Mandalay, including Mogoke, Thabeikkyin, Singu, Madaya, Myingyan and Taungtha townships.
Late last year, the junta vowed to re-capture lost ground from the insurgent alliance, which has been weakened as at least one Shan state-based group has agreed to a ceasefire with the military after coming under pressure from neighboring China.
The junta will also be hoping to re-establish control over as much territory as possible as it prepares for an election, expected late this year, which it hopes will bolster its legitimacy.
Translated by Aung Naing for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.