Junta launches major offensive to retake strategic Mawchi mining town

By Admin 04 Mar 2026

DMG Newsroom

4 March 2026, Mawchi, Kayah State

Myanmar’s military regime is reportedly mobilizing hundreds of troops in an offensive to retake Mawchi, a strategic mining town in Kayah State currently under the control of revolutionary forces, according to local military sources.

The military column is advancing toward Mawchi from Hpasawng, a town recently recaptured by the junta. A ground source said intense fighting is expected as revolutionary forces remain positioned along the route.

“A junta contingent of about 100 troops is continuing its advance from Hpasawng toward Mawchi and has reached a hill near a tungsten mine. Karenni resistance forces are stationed nearby, so fierce clashes are likely to continue,” the source said.

Villagers along the Hpasawng–Mawchi route have reportedly fled to safer areas as the regime’s troops move closer to the town.

After retaking Hpasawng from Karenni revolutionary forces on 16 February, the junta is seeking control of the main Asian Highway corridor, which passes through Hpasawng, Bawlakhe, Pruso, Ngwetaung, and Loikaw.

“If the military regime succeeds in seizing Mawchi, they aim to control the entire route along the western bank of the Salween River,” said Captain Zin Yaw, a member of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).

Military analysts say the regime is intensifying its territorial expansion in Kayah State ahead of the establishment of a new government structure, suggesting that battles in the region are likely to escalate.