Myanmar’s junta has recaptured the city of Myawaddy, a major trade hub on the border with Thailand. This reverses a major victory for resistance soldiers who took the city nearly two weeks ago and were then forced to withdraw, a spokesman for the rebel Karen National Union said. Wednesday.
The capture of Myawaddy by junta forces followed the defection of a well-armed local militia known as the Border Guard Force, which had briefly switched sides and joined ethnic Karen rebels and allied pro-democracy forces to destroy the to take the city on April 11.
After rejoining the junta, the militia on Tuesday helped free trapped regime soldiers and recapture their battalion’s base on the outskirts of the city, where they raised Myanmar’s national flag, Padoh said Saw Taw Nee, the spokesperson for the Karen National Union. political leadership body.
“In light of this critical situation and to avoid falling into the enemy’s trap, we must temporarily withdraw our joint forces of the Karen National Liberation Army from Myawaddy,” Mr Saw Taw Nee said in an interview.
The city’s capture by resistance forces was the rebels’ most significant victory so far, as a broad alliance of armed ethnic groups and pro-democracy fighters has fought to oust senior generals who seized power in a coup in 2021.
In recent months, resistance forces have captured dozens of towns and military outposts in Myanmar’s border areas.
But Myawaddy, across the Moei River from the Thai town of Mae Sot, was a particularly big prize given its role as a hub for imports and exports, with a trade volume of $1 billion last year.
The regime attempted to reclaim Myawaddy by sending a convoy of reinforcements from army bases less than three hours away.
But faced with frequent ambushes and attacks by guerrillas along the highway, the convoy had still not reached Myawaddy 12 days later, Mr Saw Taw Nee said.
He said rebel forces who had withdrawn from Myawaddy would join the battle against junta forces along the highway.
Regime spokesman General Zaw Min Tun did not respond to repeated calls from The New York Times.
As the resistance held Myawaddy, the army bombed civilian targets in the city, including roads and a bus station, killing at least seven people and wounding 30, said Ko Zack, an ambulance team leader.
For decades, ethnic armed groups fought for autonomy for their individual regions. But since the coup, many of the groups have joined forces with the aim of ousting the junta and replacing its leadership with a federal democracy.
“Our mission extends beyond the borders of Myawaddy,” said Mr Saw Taw Nee. “Our goal is not merely regime change to replace the current rulers of the country. We strive for systemic change, transforming all corrupt systems within the country.”