15 May 2026 By Hlaing
KANI, Myanmar — Thousands of families have been trapped or forced into hiding as Myanmar military forces conduct a relentless, two-week arson campaign along the banks of the Chindwin River in Sagaing Region.
Since 28 April, a junta force of approximately 1,000 troops has established a major staging ground at Chaung Ma village, launching destructive raids across Kani Township. Local monitoring groups report that more than 30,000 civilians have abandoned their homes to escape ground troops, drone-delivered bombs, and heavy artillery.
According to local field updates, the military operations have targeted numerous riverside communities. On 12 May, advancing troops raided Tazael Chaung, Shan Myaung, Min Kone, Pan Saing, and Nyaung Pin Wun villages, systematically looting public food supplies before setting homes on fire.
The following day, the destruction expanded to the western bank, hitting the villages of Nga Phyet, East Mutha, West Mutha, Thint Win, and Min Ma, where forces seized rations and burned down parts of Thamin Chan village.
“The soldiers are operating with complete impunity,” a local security tracker told MPA. “They have been sweeping through the western side of the river for over a fortnight now, using surveillance and attack drones to clear out any resistance before moving in to burn what remains.”
The intensity of the ground sweeps has completely paralyzed local transport along the Chindwin River, a vital economic and survival lifeline for the region. Ferry operators have been forced to suspend services, leaving families divided on opposite banks.
“The ferry docks are completely silent now,” a resident stranded on the eastern bank said. “I haven’t been able to cross back to my home on the western side for days. While some fuel trucks manage to sneak through certain remote paths, traveling anywhere near the river is currently a suicide mission.”
Despite the military’s heavy deployment, local guerrilla factions have struck back. The Ymabin Strategy 47 alliance reported that an ambush on a 300-strong junta column moving toward Chaung Ma on 10 May inflicted roughly 10 military casualties. The alliance also claimed that five junta soldiers defected during the chaos, surrendering their weapons and ammunition to the resistance.
In response to the escalating violence and air operations, the Kani Township People’s Administration ordered a temporary, mandatory shutdown of all public Starlink satellite internet terminals in the area. Authorities warned that junta informants were increasingly exploiting open internet access to feed coordinate data to the military’s command centers, directly aiding the regime’s airstrike targets and putting civilian lives in imminent peril.
As the wet season approaches, humanitarian groups warn that the combination of severed supply routes, burned food reserves, and mass displacement will likely trigger a severe nutritional and medical crisis in rural Sagaing within weeks.
