Thousands flee Myanmar into India as fighting erupts in biggest challenge yet to junta

‘We’ll move forward’, says rebel forces as junta brings out tanks to crush armed resistance groups

Thousands of citizens from Myanmar’s Chin State fled to India over the weekend after the rebels brought their fight against the military to the country's western front.

The refugees have been crossing over to India's northeastern state of Mizoram since Sunday when the fighting between the Myanmar military and the guerrillas of the Chin Defence Force intensified near the border.

About 5,000 people from Myanmar crossed into Mizoram to seek shelter from the conflict. One refugee was killed while 20 Myanmar nationals were hospitalised in Mizoram, said Manipur director general of police Anil Shukla on Monday.

“These are people who have been injured in Myanmar and have crossed over the border to receive medical treatment here,” he told The Indian Express.

The Myanmar military – led by General Min Aung Hlaing – is facing its biggest challenge from an alliance of armed ethnic groups since wresting power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a 2021 coup.

Since the February coup, the country has been embroiled in a bloody civil war that saw the junta crushing the rebels with both arbitrary detention and brute violence.

Members of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army pose for a photograph with the weapons allegedly seized from the Myanmar’s army outpost on a hill in Chinshwehaw town, Myanmar (AP)

However, an alliance of ethnic rebel forces joined hands to collectively launch an offensive named "Operation 1027" in the junta-controlled areas on the border with China in Shan State last month.

The rebels have since seized the district capital of Kawlin in the Sagaing region and over 100 military outposts.

Myint Swe, the president of the junta, last week warned the country “will be split into various parts” if the government failed to contain the situation. The generals say they are fighting “terrorists”.

The statement reflects the junta’s anxiety about a possible collapse of the military rule for the first time in nearly three years, which has so far effectively throttled dissent despite sanctions from the West and mounting pressure from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) bloc.

Members of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army hold the group’s flag as they pose for a photograph on a captured army armored vehicle in Myanmar (AP)

Clashes between the "Three Brotherhood Alliance" – which is made of the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army – and the junta have invoked fears of mass displacements.

The fighting reported from the Shan state townships of Kunlong, Hseni, Kyaukme, Kutkai, Lashio, Laukkaing, Muse, Namhkan, Chinshwehaw and Nawnghkio, as well as some areas in northern Kachin state and the northern part of the Sagaing region. "We are continuing our attacks in northern Shan State," said Kyaw Naing, a spokesperson for the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.

The United Nations said nearly 50,000 civilians have been displaced in northern Myanmar in the two weeks since the offensive began between the two fronts.

“Essential roads are obstructed by checkpoints operated by both sides, while phone and Internet services are disrupted. The main airport in Lashio, the area’s largest town, has been closed since the fighting escalated," it said in a statement.

The fighting spread to the western Chin and Rakhine states over the weekend.

Some 80 rebels mounted attacks on Rihkhawdar and Khawmawi military camps in Chin at around 4am on Monday, taking control of both outputs.

At least 43 Myanmar soldiers reportedly surrendered to the Indian police and were currently sheltering in Mizoram, local police official Lalmalsawma Hnamte told Reuters. "Whether they will be pushed back or not, we are waiting for further instructions from the central government."

The rebels will now move to consolidate their control along the India border, according to Chin National Front (CNF) vice chairman Sui Khar.

"We'll move forward," he said, adding: "Our tactic is from the village to the town to the capital."

The rebels on Sunday claimed responsibility for downing a military jet over Kayah State in eastern Myanmar, near the border with Thailand.

The armed resistance forces have blocked two strategically vital roads to the country's biggest trading partner, China, hindering cross-border trade, which could potentially be a massive headache for the junta.

In response, the junta brought out tanks on the streets after imposing a curfew in Sittwe, the local residents said.

The locals have been ordered not to leave their homes after 9pm and businesses must close by 8.30pm or face legal action, according to a government document.

"We saw tanks going around the town. Many shops are closed today," a resident told Reuters, declining to be named for security reasons. "The schools are open but families did not send their kids to school today."

Residents in Rathedaung in Rakhine State said the area came under artillery fire overnight and that military soldiers had entered the town on Tuesday.

"Artillery fell on a street in Rathedaung town last night. No immediate report of injured or casualties yet," said a resident, who asked not to be identified.

"People have started fleeing the town. Soldiers are in the town now.