Myanmar’s military has launched a renewed and concentrated campaign into multiple border regions, targeting territory that includes critical mineral deposits and important cross-border trade corridors. The push follows a formal transfer of authority within the armed forces and is being directed by new military chief Ye Win Oo, who assumed office in March after his long-time predecessor stepped down to become president.
Spokespeople for several ethnic armed organisations and analysts described the recent operations as an assertive effort to reclaim strategic border strongholds that have slipped from government control in recent years. The offensives are centred on northern Kachin State - an area bordering China that contains extensive heavy rare-earth deposits - as well as on Chin State along the frontier with India and on a vital trade route in Karen State near the Thai border.
At a meeting last week, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, Ye Win Oo told soldiers that the military had secured Falam town in Chin State and an arterial route between Mandalay and Myitkyina in Kachin State. Analysts and rebel group spokespeople interpret such moves as part of a strategy aimed at retaking primary communication and trade channels across Myanmar.
"The military’s strategic rationale is that they need to regain control over the primary communication and trade routes in Myanmar," said Myanmar analyst Sai Kyi Zin Soe. "We can see that the military is trying desperately to recapture towns that host border trade gates."
Independent verification of the scope and initial successes of the operations across the affected regions remains limited, as access to many conflict areas is restricted and on-the-ground reporting is constrained. An official from Myanmar’s presidential office declined to comment when contacted by phone.
The recent military offensives follow a broader political backdrop in which the former junta chief, now president Min Aung Hlaing, last month called on armed opposition groups to enter peace negotiations within 100 days. That initiative was swiftly rejected by many ethnic armies. The country’s current cycle of armed conflict traces back to the 2021 military takeover, which removed the civilian government and triggered a nationwide uprising that evolved into sustained armed resistance by multiple ethnic armies and rebel formations.
In Kachin State, the military is reported to be pushing deeper north with the stated objective of retaking mining belts along the Chinese border. Those areas produce a substantial share of the world’s heavy rare earths, elements that the article identifies as important inputs for technologies such as wind turbines and electric vehicles. The Kachin Independence Army, which asserted control over parts of the area in October 2024, says it has fortified defensive positions in key townships.
"We will welcome them with the barrels of our guns," said Naw Bu, a spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army, referring to preparations around the Chipwi and Pangwa township areas.
On the western front, the military has intensified operations in Chin State, where its actions could affect an important cross-border logistics route that supports opposition elements within Myanmar. Resistance fighters from the Chin National Front have reportedly carried out strategic withdrawals from Falam and Tonzong towns while the military has employed heavy aerial bombardment in attempts to regain territory.
Statements from the Chin National Front indicate those retreats occurred in the face of increased bombing; a spokesperson, Salai Van, described the military’s use of aerial strikes to recover lost ground.
The military’s operational capacity to conduct extensive bombing campaigns has been linked in reporting to illicit deliveries of jet fuel sourced from Iran, which have previously powered an expansive campaign of aerial strikes. Reuters reporting cited in prior coverage noted that more than 1,000 civilian locations were struck over a 15-month period. The article states that fuel shortages arising from the conflict in Iran do not yet appear to have materially constrained the military’s operations, although the global energy crisis has affected farmers and other civilians.
Fighting has also continued around the Myawaddy-Kawkareik highway on the Thai border, a key trade artery that has seen clashes since the Karen National Union pushed into the border town of Myawaddy in 2024. The military has launched operations aimed at controlling that highway and reasserting dominance over the corridor.
"The military has repeatedly and continuously violated pledges along the path to peace and paid no heed to agreements," said Saw Taw Nee, a spokesperson for the Karen National Union. "Therefore, it goes without saying that there is a complete absence of trust. Whatever they attempt, it is bound to fail."
The renewed offensives underscore the military’s focus on regaining command of border gateways, transport arteries and mineral-rich territories. While the immediate tactical outcomes remain difficult to confirm independently, the pattern of intensified operations across Kachin, Chin and Karen states marks a clear escalation in the campaign by the armed forces to recover regions held by ethnic armies and other opposition groups.
Summary: Under newly installed military chief Ye Win Oo, Myanmar’s armed forces have escalated operations to retake strategic border towns, trade routes and rare earth mining zones in Kachin, Chin and Karen states. Rebel groups report fortified defenses, strategic withdrawals and heavy aerial bombardment as the military seeks to reassert control over key cross-border corridors and mineral belts.