Around 10,000 Displaced, Several Detained as Myanmar Junta Launches Operations in Sagaing Region

Around 10,000 residents from at least 10 villages in southern Kani Township and along the Chindwin River have been displaced as the Myanmar military deploys hundreds of troops in combined riverine and ground operations.

Troops dispatched from the Northwest Regional Military Command in Monywa to secure the Monywa-Kani-Yargyi-Kalewa road arrived in Chaungma Village on August 16. Soldiers subsequently split into smaller units, raiding the village and looting homes abandoned by fleeing civilians.

On the morning of August 18, regime forces stormed Minma Village, detaining six male residents. Troops also blocked escape routes from nearby Muhtaw Village and abducted several other residents trying to flee.

“Junta troops advanced downstream by ship along the Chindwin River while ground forces moved simultaneously,” an aid worker assisting displaced residents told Network Media Group (NMG). “Some residents taking shelter in local monasteries were trapped before they could evacuate. The six individuals arrested in Minma and the residents taken from Muhtaw remain in custody.”

The military deployed a flotilla of roughly 30 vessels, including troop transports and logistics ships, down the Chindwin River.

During the advance, forces targeted riverbank villages using airstrikes from gyrocopters, paramotors, drones, and fighter jets. Junta units stationed in neighboring Yinmabin and Salingyi townships also shelled the area with heavy artillery.

Residents from at least 10 villages—including Chaungma, Thintwin, Minma, Thaminchan, Muhtaw, and Aungmingalar—were forced to flee with few personal belongings amid the sudden raids.

“Junta columns entered the villages so quickly that people had no time to pack,” the aid worker added. “Then the vessels on the river began shelling, cutting off escape routes and trapping civilians.”

On August 19, the military launched additional airstrikes in northwestern Kani Township using three gyrocopters. Casualties are currently unconfirmed as NMG continues to investigate.

The prolonged military presence in the area—where troops have established semi-permanent camps for months—has severely disrupted local livelihoods and education.

“Soldiers have been stationed in our village for nearly four months, preventing families from working and making it impossible for children to attend school,” a local woman said. “Long-term displacement creates extreme hardship, but returning home risks being accused by anti-regime forces of collaborating with the military.”

Military operations along the Monywa-Yargyi-Kalewa highway and the Chindwin River remain ongoing, and local aid workers warn the number of displaced civilians is likely to grow.