In Rebel-Held Myanmar, Civilians Face Devastating Aerial Bombardments and a Fake Vote

In the dead of night last month, a woman listened to detonations in a nearby village, followed by warplanes flying overhead. She hurried outside her home to see plumes of smoke in the distance.

"We were petrified. We thought the regime's jets might attack us too. So we seized our essentials – provisions and garments and ran into the woodlands around our village."

Iang's face quivers as she recounts the story of what occurred on 26 November in K-Haimual, situated in Myanmar's western Chin State. She's among numerous people who've fled their homes in recent weeks after the Myanmar army launched a fierce campaign of aerial attacks, coupled with a land assault in resistance territory across the country.

Some from Chin state have described the junta's latest offensive as the fiercest it has unleashed in the past three years. Countless refugees have sought refuge in different areas of the state. Iang is part of a group that crossed the border into India's Mizoram state. At present residing in a dilapidated badminton court in Vaphai village, the group's meager possessions they were able to carry are packed in plastic sacks.

Ral Uk Thang has had to abandon his residence at the age of 80, staying in temporary huts in forests for days, prior to eventually finding refuge.

"We're afraid of our own government. They are extremely cruel. Their military has come into our and other villages in the past, they've detained individuals, mistreated them, and destroyed residences," he says.

It isn't easy to converse with Burmese civilians freely. Myanmar's regime restricts open movement in the country for foreign journalists. It seized control of the country in a military takeover in February 2021, soon after the last election.

Humanitarian Cost and Targeted Attacks

As part of the newest operation, the junta in the past week attacked a hospital in Rakhine. Rebel groups in Rakhine claim at least 30 people were slain and more than 70 hurt.

A monitoring body says that from September onward at least several educational institutions and six churches in Chin State have been targeted by regime air raids, claiming the lives of 12 people among them six children.

Evidence confirms the bombing of a school in a village on 13 October. Two students lost their lives as they were studying. The bombs ripped through their classrooms injuring more than a dozen other students.

For a second time, a man and his loved ones – a wife and two young children - have been made homeless. In 2021, shortly after the coup, their home was destroyed by fire in an air strike. They started over in a new community. Now they're homeless again.

"It's hard to express to explain how painful and hard it is and what a heart-wrenching call it was to make to leave. But we had to do it to preserve our lives," he says.

A Disputed Vote

The former ruling party, which won decisive victories in the two elections preceding the coup, is not participating as the majority of its leadership are in jail.

"We reject this election. Because the military is incapable of govern our country. They only work for the gain of their senior officers. When the previous government was in power, we experienced a measure of democracy. But now all we do is weep and mourn," says the refugee.

A resident believes the election will be rigged. "If we participated for a party opposed to the military, I believe they will tamper with the results and claim we voted for them."

The election will occur in stages, with a result projected around the end of January. Rebel groups have declared it a pretense.

Resistance Frontline and Sacrifices

At a base of a prominent rebel group operating in the state, a leader states: "This election is only being held to prolong military dictatorship. It's not about the will of the people."

He points out the areas where the fiercest combat is taking place. "Battalions of hundreds of soldiers trying to advance into the northern part of Chin state from several axes," he says. "The troops are being aided by air strikes, artillery fire and by unmanned aerial vehicles."

Entry to such bases is very limited. Set amid thickly forested mountains, it is the heart of the fight against the junta in Chin state.

Within a clinic at the base, a group of injured fighters had arrived overnight and had to undergo hours of surgery. Some of them have had to undergo amputations.

Many of them were just teenagers when the coup occurred in 2021. Just about adults now, they've set aside their dreams to engage in combat against the junta.

"As the enemy was retreating we ran forward and I detonated a landmine. We were injured in the explosion. Then we were struck from above. The airstrikes make things very difficult for us," explains a combatant. "Although I am amputated, if I must sacrifice my life I'm happy to make the sacrifice so that those who follow have a better life."

The consequence of the ferocity of the recent campaign is evident in every corner at the hospital.

However, it's the determination and resolve of many thousands of youngsters who took up weapons that have helped the rebels make notable progress against a better-equipped rival.

Individuals such as 80-year-old Ral Uk Thang hope that after the election, the junta will retreat, and he will be able to return home.

"But I don't think I will live to see democracy reestablished in Myanmar," he says. "I wish my children and grandchildren can witness it some day."