The Irrawaddy

 

 

 

Thousands of civilians have fled their homes in Karen State as Myanmar’s military junta intensifies its campaign to retake strategic territory ahead of national elections slated for December.

 

Troops loyal to the regime surged into Myawaddy town on Saturday after reclaiming the vital Kawkareik–Myawaddy highway and a command post in Thingannyinaung. From there, forces pushed south into villages including Falu, Metta Lin Myaing, and Mae Htaw Thalay, with reports of 500-lb bombs dropped near Lay Kay Kaw town earlier this week.

 

Local sources say the advance was facilitated by allied ethnic Karen groups—the Border Guard Force (BGF) and Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA)—who allegedly cleared routes for the junta’s swift incursion. “People had almost no time to pack,” said one volunteer. “They fled their farms and left everything behind.”

 

Among those displaced are political activists and civil servants aligned with the Civil Disobedience Movement. Many have crossed into Thailand or sought refuge in Waw Lay town and an old camp across the Salween River, where over 200 families are sheltering in rain-drenched, damaged huts.

 

Aid workers warn of urgent shortages in food, shelter, and medicine. “The area is under mud,” said one woman who escaped to Kyauk Khet village. “The roofs need rebuilding, and people are falling ill.”

 

Resistance forces, led by the Karen National Liberation Army and People’s Defense Forces, had seized several outposts earlier this year. Analysts believe the junta’s current push is aimed at reclaiming lost ground to secure control of Myawaddy—one of the townships earmarked for the first phase of voting.

 

With support from BGF and DKBA, both of which back the election, the regime appears determined to consolidate territory before the polls. But for thousands of Karen civilians, the cost is displacement, uncertainty, and the looming threat of further violence.

 

 

-2025-09-10

The title didn't need to be so long.  "Myanmar Junta Offensive" would have done the job.

When will the world wake up to this terror.