Myanmar’s ruling military junta announced on Saturday that it has successfully recaptured the town of Hsipaw along a crucial trade highway to China, following a prolonged offensive that lasted over two weeks. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported that the Tatmadaw, the military’s official name, had fully reoccupied the town on October 16.
The conflict in Northern Shan State escalated in June 2024, when an alliance of ethnic armed groups reignited their offensive against the military forces. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), one of the prominent ethnic groups, had previously taken control of Hsipaw by capturing the last military base in the town during intense fighting in October of the same year.
Hsipaw, which typically hosts a population of about 20,000, is strategically located on the highway linking Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay, to the border with China. This route is vital, facilitating the movement of goods worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Reports indicate that there were 28 reported clashes and military engagements in the weeks leading up to Hsipaw’s recapture. The military claimed to have retrieved the bodies of 13 members of the TNLA, labelling them as “terrorists.”
In a statement released via their Department of News and Information channel on Telegram, the TNLA condemned the military’s actions, alleging that the junta is committing war crimes against innocent civilians through the use of manpower, heavy weapons, drones, and airstrikes. The TNLA further mentioned that 29 individuals had lost their lives since the onset of the military’s latest operations in the region.
Since the military coup in February 2021, which abruptly terminated a brief period of democratic governance, the junta has been embroiled in conflicts with various ethnic armed groups and the People’s Defense Forces that oppose its authority. The TNLA has particularly fortified its control over significant territories in Shan State, seizing critical towns and the nation’s main ruby-mining center amidst ongoing hostilities.
Additionally, recent fighting has inflicted considerable destruction in Kyaukme township, another vital location on the trade route, as the junta recently regained control over it. The ongoing volatility in the region highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of Myanmar’s ongoing conflicts.
