Around 10,000 residents flee as Myanmar junta flotilla advances up Chindwin River

Around 10,000 residents in Sagaing Region's Kani Township have been forced to abandon their homes after a heavily armed Myanmar military flotilla advanced upstream along the Chindwin River, firing artillery indiscriminately at riverbank communities. The mass displacement, affecting residents from at least 10 villages, began at approximately 8:30 a.m. on July 6 as the fleet moved north. According to local sources, the military convoy departed from the Mindaunt jetty in Monywa Township's Ahlone area. The advancing flotilla consists of 26 flat-deck iron-hull cargo vessels escorted by two naval combat boats. “Everyone had to flee for their lives because the troops are continuously shelling both banks of the river,” a local villager said. “At the same time, junta ground troops are also advancing along the riverbanks, forcing the entire population to run to safety.” During the monsoon season, high water levels make the Chindwin River highly navigable, prompting the military regime to heavily utilize waterways to transport heavy weaponry, ammunition, and rations to frontline troops. As of the evening of July 6, the flotilla had anchored near Min-O and Ein Taung Villages in Kani Township. The sudden military push has compounded an existing humanitarian crisis in the region, where the ongoing ground clashes have already displaced many locals. “We have been displaced for nearly two months now. People have no work, and commodity prices are skyrocketing. We are in desperate need of food supplies,” another displaced villager said. “Right now, we are taking refuge in schools in neighboring villages, but we will lose these temporary shelters once the school terms resume.” According to a statement from the local monitoring group Anyar Myay Pyit Taing Htaung, a larger fleet originally consisting of 46 vessels—including 40 cargo ships and six naval escorts—had arrived at the Ahlone Mindaunt jetty on the morning of July 4. From that group, a detachment of 26 vessels split off to head further upstream into Kani. The Myanmar junta has maintained a heavy military presence at Chaung Ma village, situated at the strategic junction of the Monywa-Kani-Yargyi highway, for nearly two months. The addition of the riverine offensive has trapped civilians, forcing thousands from southern Kani Township to flee deeper into the countryside.