Myanmar military convoy reaches Magway Region ahead of expected Chin-Rakhine counteroffensive

A map of southern and central Myanmar [Inset: The 13-mile-long corridor connecting Chin State's Kanpetlet Township to Magway Region's Saw Township]. (Credit: DVB)

Nearly 200 military vehicles loaded with weapons and three months worth of food rations reportedly arrived at Directorate of Defence Industries (DDI) 25 in Saw Township’s Laung She town, Magway Region, on Sunday. Saw is located 130 miles (209 km) northwest of the region’s capital Magway.

A resistance member in Saw told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the convoy also included 10 passenger vehicles transporting regime staff to resume administrative operations in Saw.

He added that regime forces are likely to soon launch a counteroffensive from Saw on neighboring Kanpetlet Township in southern Chin State, which was seized by the Chin Brotherhood in December 2024.

Kanpetlet is located 13 miles (20 km) west of Saw and 189 miles (304 km) south of the Chin State capital Hakha.

The People’s Defence Force (PDF) in Magway Region, which is under National Unity Government (NUG) command, stated on Sept. 19 that the military convoy included 182 vehicles and carried troops from Light Infantry Division (LID) 88 in Magway.

The PDF claims that the convoy also contains troops that have returned from Shan State and Mandalay Region.

The military regained control of urban areas in Saw following fighting with local resistance forces, including the PDF, in July. The town, located along the Magway-Chin corridor, has been contested since the uprising to the 2021 military coup began.

A Myanmar Army defector told DVB that the convoy was carrying a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), which has not previously been used in the civil war, with the aim of regaining control of Chin’s Paletwa Township via Kanpetlet.

Paletwa, 287-376 miles (461-605 km) southwest and west of Hakha and Kanpetlet, was seized by the Arakan Army (AA) in January 2024.

It serves as the primary overland supply route for goods, food, and medicine from India into AA-controlled areas following a military land and sea blockade imposed in November 2023.

The AA has seized control of 14 out of 17 townships in neighbouring Arakan State since it launched its most recent offensive against regime forces on Nov. 13, 2023. 

Besides Chin’s Kanpetlet, the Chin Brotherhood seized Mindat and Matupi townships in 2024, as well as Falam Township in April 2025. But regime forces regained control of Falam on April 25. Falam, Mindat and Matupi are located 68-171 miles (109-275 km) north and south of Hakha.

Besides the Chin Brotherhood, the other faction of the Chin resistance, the Chinland Council—led by the Chin National Army (CNA)–seized control of Tonzang, located 144 miles (231 km) north of Hakha, on May 19, 2024.

But regime forces regained control of Tonzang two years later, on May 20. 

Established in 1988, the CNA and its political wing, the Chin National Front (CNF), withdrew from the Interim Chin National Consultative Council (ICNCC) in late 2023 due to internal disputes.

The ICNCC is a civilian-led political body established after the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. Its armed wing, the Chin Brotherhood, was established on Dec. 30, 2023.

A “Chin Peace Summit 2026” aimed to promote unity and reconciliation between the two factions of the Chin resistance was held in India’s Mizoram State capital Aizawl Aug. 6-8.

The regime now controls Chin’s Thantlang, Tonzang and Falam towns. They are located 22-144 miles (35-231 km) west and north of Hakha, which is under regime control.

Control over Tedim, 117 miles (188 km) north of Hakha, is still contested by regime and Chin resistance forces.