Myanmar Army Pushes Into Rare Earth Borderlands

Myanmar’s military has intensified offensives across key border regions, targeting rare earth mining belts and vital trade routes in a bid to reassert control under its new commander‑in‑chief.

General Ye Win Oo, appointed in March after his predecessor Min Aung Hlaing became president, is driving operations in Kachin, Chin and Karen states. Analysts say the strategy is aimed at reclaiming communication corridors and border gateways that have slipped from military hands since the 2021 coup.

State media reported that troops had secured Falam in Chin State and reopened the Mandalay–Myitkyina route in Kachin. Rebel groups contest those claims, warning of heavy bombardments and forced retreats. “We will welcome them with the barrels of our guns,” said Naw Bu, spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army, which controls rare earth‑rich areas near the Chinese border.

The mineral deposits are of global significance: northern Kachin produces roughly half of the world’s heavy rare earths, vital for wind turbines and electric vehicles. Control of these mines is seen as a strategic prize for the regime.

Meanwhile, fighting has escalated along the Indian frontier in Chin State, threatening cross‑border supply lines for resistance forces. In Karen State, clashes continue around the Myawaddy‑Kawkareik highway, a trade lifeline to Thailand. The Karen National Union, which helped seize Myawaddy in 2024, dismissed calls for peace talks, citing “a complete absence of trust”.

The renewed offensives follow Min Aung Hlaing’s appeal last month for rebel groups to join peace talks within 100 days, a proposal swiftly rejected. Since the coup, ethnic armies have expanded their control, pushing the military out of swathes of territory.

Despite fuel shortages linked to global conflicts, Myanmar’s air force has continued bombing campaigns, striking civilian areas as well as rebel positions. Rights groups warn the offensives risk deepening the humanitarian crisis in a country already fractured by war.

For Ye Win Oo, the push into rare earth zones and border routes marks his first major test as commander. For civilians caught in the fighting, it signals yet another chapter of upheaval in a conflict with no clear end.

-2026-05-26