Myanmar rebels make gains near border with India

A rapidly expanding offensive by Myanmar’s anti-junta groups has seen resistance fighters capture key towns and regions near the border with India in recent days, fuelling concerns on Tuesday about a spillover of tensions and influx of refugees to the northeastern states.

- Rezaul H Laskar

The offensive by three powerful anti-junta groups, named “Operation 1027” after the date it started last month, initially focused on Myanmar’s northeastern Shan state that borders China. Successes by resistance fighters in Shan, including the capture of towns and more than 100 military outposts, were followed by similar attacks in Chin state and Sagaing region, which both border India.

A group of about 80 rebels took control of Rihkhawdar and Khawmawi military camps in Chin state on Monday after several hours of fighting. Rihkhawdar, located a short distance from Zokhawthar town in Mizoram, is home to one of only two official land border crossing points between India and Myanmar.

In Sagaing region, rebel groups claim to have captured Khampat, a key town located a little more than 50km from the second official border crossing point between Tamu in Myanmar and Moreh in Manipur. Intense fighting has also been reported in recent days from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where rebels have seized military posts in Rathedaung and Minbya towns.

The fighting in Rihkhawdar resulted in some 5,000 Myanmarese nationals, including more than 40 soldiers, seeking shelter in Mizoram since Sunday. People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that concerns are growing about more people from Myanmar crossing porous borders to seek refuge in India’s northeast, and the tensions spilling over to the Indian side following air strikes by Myanmar’s military.

The fighting in the north — which the United Nations says has displaced more than 50,000 civilians — has sparked the most significant military challenge to the junta since it seized power in 2021 after deposing the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, analysts say.