Fresh reports from Sagaing Region reveal a worsening humanitarian crisis as Myanmar junta forces raided villages in southern Kani Township, burning homes and looting property. The assault, carried out on 12 May in Thamin Chan Village, left four houses destroyed and forced thousands to flee.

Local witnesses say soldiers seized rice, cooking oil and furniture, loading the goods onto vehicles and even commandeering 18 bullock carts. Ten civilians attempting to escape were detained; while some elderly captives were later released, younger villagers were forced to march with the advancing column.

The troops have since moved towards neighbouring Yinmabin Township, with another unit reported in Pan Hsine Village. Their movements have triggered mass displacement across Chaung Ma, Thint Win, Thamin Chan, Mu Htaw and Ta Zel Chaung villages. Aid groups estimate around 15,000 residents are now without shelter, struggling with shortages of food and basic necessities.

One villager told Mizzima: “The junta troops looted every house in the village without exception.” Accounts of widespread theft and destruction underline the scale of suffering in communities already battered by conflict.

The raids highlight the junta’s continued reliance on scorched-earth tactics, leaving civilians caught between violence and displacement. As the military pushes deeper into Sagaing, the crisis is expected to intensify, with urgent calls for humanitarian assistance to reach those forced from their homes.

This latest episode underscores the devastating impact of Myanmar’s ongoing conflict, where ordinary families face the daily threat of raids, arrests and the loss of their livelihoods.

-2026-05-18

A failed state lawless country.

I feel compassion for the population facing daily violence, suffering and loss.

It's so painful to see a world so full of dictators and the impunity we are all witnessing.