Rebels push Myanmar troops out of key town

• Published date: 12 April 2024
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

Myanmar’s military-run government is battling insurgencies on several fronts and has suffered a series of defeats in frontier areas since last October, when rebel groups launched a co-ordinated offensive near the Chinese border

The impoverished Southeast Asian nation has been in turmoil after the military deposed an elected civilian government in a 2021 coup, sparking a nationwide armed resistance that is now operating alongside some long-established ethnic rebel groups.

“Today KNU-led joint resistance forces captured the remaining military base in Myawaddy”, Kyaw Zaw, a spokesman for Myanmar’s National Unity Government, told Reuters. The body is a shadow administration of ousted politicians and anti-junta groups. “This is a crucial victory for our revolution since Myawaddy is an important border town for the junta, one of the main [sources of] income from border trade,” he said. The retreat of junta troops in Myawaddy...