14 May 2026 By Mon Lay
SAW, Myanmar — The Myanmar military has launched a massive build-up of troops in Saw, Magway Region, in a strategic move intended to cut off vital trade routes connecting the central plains to resistance-held areas in Rakhine and Chin States.
On Thursday morning, a column of approximately 500 soldiers, dispatched from the No. 25 Defense Equipment Factory (Ka-Pa-Sa 25) in Laungshe, entered the town of Saw. According to local witnesses, the troops have occupied public buildings, including the U Pho Hlaing community hall, effectively turning the urban centre into a military outpost.
The deployment is part of a broader pincer movement. Simultaneously, another 400-strong column from the 99th Light Infantry Division has advanced through the Pontaung hills and reached Tapyin village. Military analysts suggest these forces are converging with the 368th Artillery Battalion in Kyaukhtu to seal off the junction at Kan Gyi village—a critical crossroads for goods flowing toward Mindat in Chin State and beyond to Rakhine.
“The junta is desperate to regain control over these supply lines,” a local security source told MPA. “By fortifying Kan Gyi and occupying Saw, they aim to starve the resistance regions of essential supplies, including food and medicine. This is a deliberate act of economic warfare.”
The military’s advance has triggered an immediate humanitarian crisis. Thousands of residents from Saw and nearby villages have fled into the surrounding forests. “People are running for their lives,” a local resident said. “Between the threat of airstrikes and the advancing ground troops, we have no choice. We just hope the weather stays clear as we seek shelter in the jungle.”
Since 25 April, junta troops have been seen digging trenches and establishing permanent fortifications at the Mindat-Kyaukhtu-Saw intersection. The presence of nearly 1,200 total personnel in the area suggests a long-term plan to maintain a blockade against the resistance alliance.
While ground operations intensify, the military has also reportedly been using fighter jets from Tada-U airbase to strike targets in Mindat, even in areas without active combat. Resistance groups have warned civilians across the Yaw region and southern Chin State to remain alert for aerial bombardments and drone strikes.
As the junta prepares to tighten its grip on the western trade corridors, the people of the Yaw region face a bleak outlook. With the primary transit routes blocked, the humanitarian situation in the neighboring hills is expected to deteriorate rapidly, further complicating an already dire regional crisis.
