Military retakes key town in Sagaing Region from PDF; UN draft resolution on human rights situation in Myanmar

Military retakes key town in Sagaing Region from PDF

The People’s Defence Force (PDF) told DVB that fighting is still ongoing in the outskirts of Sagaing Region’s Tigyaing Township on Wednesday, despite the loss of the town to regime forces on Tuesday. Tigyaing, located 182 miles (292 km) northeast of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa, has been partially administered by the National Unity Government (NUG) since it was seized by the PDF in 2024.

A PDF member said that they were “overwhelmed” by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force and drone strikes carried out by the regime’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Zin Yaw, a military defector, told DVB that if the regime regains control of the 58-mile (93 km) long Tigyaing-Katha road, it’ll be able to recapture Indaw town, 42 miles (67 km) north of Tigyaing. Indaw was seized by the PDF on April 7, 2025.

Tigyaing, Katha and Indaw are located along the road connecting Mandalay to Kachin State’s Bhamo Township, where fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and regime forces has been ongoing since 2024. Katha, 58 miles (93 km) north of Tigyaing, has been contested between the KIA and regime forces since December. Katha and Bhamo are 223-304 miles (359-489 km) north of Monywa and 214-278 miles (344-447 km) north of Mandalay.

UN draft resolution on human rights situation in Myanmar

The U.K. issued a joint statement with the E.U. welcoming the draft resolution submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC), on the “situation of human rights in Myanmar,” on Tuesday. The draft resolution, which was introduced during the 58th session of the HRC, states that Burma still constitutes one of “the worst-and most active-human rights crises” following the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021.

“The human rights crisis in Myanmar remains one of the most severe and urgent situations on our agenda, and the international community cannot look away,” said Eleanor Sanders, the U.K. human rights ambassador to the U.N., in a statement on March 31. “Recent military airstrikes, including in Rakhine, Magway and Sagaing, continue to destroy homes, religious sites and shelters for displaced communities.”

The draft resolution highlights the fact that Min Aung Hlaing’s regime continues to attack civilians in communities nationwide by carrying out airstrikes. It outlined “effective and targeted action” to stop the military from being able to access weapons to be able to carry out these attacks and referenced the conscription law enforced on Feb. 10, 2024, which stipulates that all male citizens aged 18 to 35, and women aged 18 to 27, must serve at least two years in the military. Read more