Four killed and 1,000 displaced in Kachin State’s Hpakant; Arakan Army ‘retreats’ from Rakhine State’s Kyaukphyu

Four killed and 1,000 displaced in Kachin State’s Hpakant

Hpakant Township residents in Kachin State told DVB that at least four civilians were killed and three others were injured by artillery during fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and regime forces, which began Friday. One Hpakant resident said on Saturday that the seven villages in the town were “deserted” after everyone fled.

Naw Bu, the KIA spokesperson, told DVB that over 1,000 Hpakant residents have been displaced from their homes due to the regime counteroffensive to retake Hpakant, which was seized by the KIA in April 2024. “Our KIA and [allied People’s Defence Force] troops intercepted the regime column on the Kamaing road [in Hpakant],” he added.