The military in Myanmar has been ruling with brutal severity for almost five years. (archive image)Image: keystone
Myanmar’s military has launched a major offensive. In focus: border regions with China, India and Thailand as well as valuable raw material mines.
May 25, 2026, 4:32 p.mMay 25, 2026, 4:32 p.m
The military in Myanmar A new offensive has begun to recapture strategically important border regions and trade routes. Military chief Ye Win Oo, who has been in office since March, is pushing ahead with the attacks, the Reuters news agency reported on Monday, citing rebel groups and analysts. The offensive is focused on Kachin State on the border ChinaChin State on the Indian border and an important trade corridor in Karen State Thailand.
The aim of the military leadership is to regain control of the country’s most important communication and trade routes from ethnic rebel groups. A representative from the presidential office declined to comment. Reuters was initially unable to independently verify the information on the military offensives and initial successes.
In the northern state of Kachin, the military is particularly concerned about access to mines on the Chinese border. Around half of the world’s heavy rare earths, which are important for wind turbines and electric vehicles, are mined there. The Kachin Independence Army said it had prepared for defense.
Ta’ang Libertion Army soldiers parade in northern Shan State in 2015. The rebels have been fighting against central government troops for decades. Image: keystone
Offer for peace talks failed
In the western state of Chin on the border with India The Chin National Front reported strategic withdrawals of its fighters from the cities of Falam and Tonzong due to heavy air strikes by the military. The army is also trying to regain control of an important highway near Thailand. The Karen National Union rebel group active there rejected peace talks, citing a complete lack of trust in the Myanmar military.
The attacks follow a proposal from President Min Aung Hlaing. The former head of the military government last month offered the rebel groups peace talks within 100 days, which many of the ethnic armies immediately rejected.
The ongoing conflict in Myanmar began in 2021 when the military overthrew the democratically elected government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup. This sparked a nationwide uprising that developed into armed resistance. In the course of this, ethnic armies and rebel groups pushed back the military from several regions.
Sources used:
- Reuters news agency