Guwahati: Heavy fighting continues between rebel groups and military forces in Myanmar’s Sagaing region, just a few kilometres from Manipur’s Moreh town on this side of the Indo-Myanmar border. Thousands of villagers from the neighbouring country have fled to safety as air strikes and ground assaults have caused casualties on both sides of the warring groups.
Although the exact toll could not be confirmed, sources estimate it could exceed 20.
The fighting has been raging towards the Indian border since pro-democracy outfits, including the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) and the People’s Defence Force (PDF) of Tamu township near Moreh, got engaged in fierce clashes with the Myanmar military and its pro-junta allies.
On the military side are the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), a Myanmar insurgent group seeking statehood in Sagaing Region; the Pyu Saw Htee militia, a pro-military network of armed villagers; and the Imphal valley-based insurgent groups (VBIGs) – a term for rebel groups, led by Manipur’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Sources reported that the pro-junta forces have suffered more than ten casualties, including “4-5 cadres of the VBIGs”. Among them were two officer-rank soldiers from the PLA and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF-Koireng), along with a cadre from the proscribed Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) outfit.
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The sources added that ‘symbolic funerals’ were held for the slain cadres in Imphal East and Imphal West districts of Manipur.
The current developments prove the impact of Myanmar strife on Indian insurgent groups operating there, reshaping the dynamics of insurgency along the border. Once allies on Myanmar soil, these outfits are now locked in fierce conflict. While KNA-B has aligned with the PDFs, the VBIGs have remained loyal to the Myanmar army.
Myanmar still provides safe haven to the Indian insurgent groups with rebel camps located farther to the north of Moreh and Tamu along the Indo-Myanmar border. Insurgent camps also exist on the southern Myanmar side of the thickly forested border, and north and northwest of Singkaling Hkamti in Sagaing region’s Hkampti district.
Security sources have not yet confirmed the direct involvement of Isak-Muivah faction of the NSCN in the current clashes, adding that many NSCN-IM members had returned to India in the first half of January.
However, a source in PDF Tamu township claimed that the NSCN-IM has been actively supporting the VBIGs in the offensive, and facilitating the movement of reinforcements from Namli and Wangli villages in the Tangkhul Naga area of Manipur’s Kamjong district, near the Indo-Myanmar border.
Battle rages on
The offensive, reportedly launched in the early hours of January 27 by the pro-junta coalition, targeted a PDF camp near Teijang and Min Thar villages in Tamu township. The ‘surprise attack’, which included air assaults and drone bombings, resulted in at least 6-7 casualties, sources said.
A large number of Myanmar villagers from the area have since fled to the deep jungles for safety. According to a report by The Hindu, over 260 Myanmar residents have crossed over to the Indian side of the border in the past few days.
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In areas south of Tamu, anti-junta forces launched ground assaults on Pan Thar village and destroyed the infrastructure. They have also positioned themselves along the Wet Shu area, between Tamu and Min Thar towns, that serves as a key reinforcement corridor for the Myanmar Army and the VBIGs.
Since fighting broke out in the area, the rebel fighters have been blocking reinforcements heading to Min Thar town.
According to Myanmar’s RFA Burmese, which referred to posts of pro-junta pages on a social media platform, on the evening of January 28, the military attacked PDF fighters around Tamu’s Kyun Pin Thar village with artillery, airstrikes, and drones. The junta forces had claimed to have discovered the bodies of seven rebels and ammunition there.
On February 2, sources said the military conducted aerial strikes at the PDF camp in Kauntong village under Tamu township, located about 4 km from Manipur and opposite to border pillar 81 along the Indo-Myanmar border. Two years ago, on March 23, similar offensives were launched in the same area.
There are about 500 PDFs in Tamu alone, said sources near the border. The combined anti-junta forces in Tamu township, consisting of PDFs and KNA-B is estimated to have a strength of around 1,100 fighters. The military is believed to be brutally suppressing the efforts of young vigilantes in areas north of Tamu, while the PDFs in south of the township are said to be having the upper hand.
Much of the area in the south is now under the control of rebel fighters, including a significant stretch of the eastern highway connecting Tamu to Mandalay, which extends further into Thailand. According to a defense analyst, pro-democratic forces are now trying to fight for territory in Myanmar’s Kabaw Valley, north of Tamu.