The junta is ramping up efforts to enter southern Arakan (Rakhine) State with a large-scale offensive along the Ayeyarwady–Arakan coastal road. Its current focus is Gwa Township in Arakan State, under the control of the Arakan Army (AA), with attacks launched from Bawmi Village in Pathein Township, Ayeyarwady Region.
Sources familiar with the situation reported that the coup regime has deployed substantial ground forces, including armored vehicles, in the push.
“After the junta realized that it can’t enter Arakan State from Ayeyarwady Region’s Ngathaingchaung Town, it abandoned that initial plan. Now it is intensifying its offensive via the Bawmi–Magyisin–Kyaukchon coastal route. Three columns, including armored cavalry units, have been formed to push forward from Bawmi and Magyisin villages, sparking fierce clashes,” said a source.
The junta is also struggling to regain control of the Pathein–Monywa Highway section in Lemyethna Township, while fighting has been reported in Thabaung Township in the same region.
The offensive involves battalions under the Southwest Region Military Command, based in Pathein, alongside junta-aligned militias and several units reinforced from the Coastal Region Military Command in Myanmar’s southernmost Taninthayi Region, with total manpower estimated in the thousands.
“In Lemyethna, junta forces are attacking resistance-controlled villages along the Pathein–Monywa Road. Fighting is also taking place in Thabaung Township as regime columns advance along the Thabaung–Magyisin Road. Although all three columns are attempting to push through, they are suffering heavy casualties and being forced to retreat repeatedly. Conscripts are being deployed on the frontlines, and despite lack of experience, they have become a key human resource for the junta replenishment,” said a military analyst in Ayeyarwady Region.
During the clashes, junta forces from two Regional Military Commands coordinated attacks around Thabaunglay, Thaephyu, and Kyarkhaung villages along the route to Magyisin Village. Observers also noted that units from Kyonepyaw and Ingapu townships in Ayeyarwady were merged and dispatched as reinforcements to the Lemyethna frontline.
While attempting to reclaim towns and territories lost to the AA in Arakan State, the junta is advancing from neighboring Bago, Magway, and Ayeyarwady regions. However, the landlocked nature of Magway and Bago limits the use of naval artillery support, pushing the junta to concentrate its efforts on the coastal Ayeyarwady route.
“The regime seems desperate to reclaim at least a few towns in Arakan State to save face, much like what it tried in northern Shan State. That’s why it’s pushing from Magway, Bago, and Ayeyarwady. In Magway and Bago, the lack of naval support creates serious strategic problems for them. But Ayeyarwady, being a coastal region with narrow terrain, allows for effective naval fire. That’s probably why the junta is mounting a heavier, more aggressive attack there, combining land, sea, and air operations,” said a military observer in Arakan State.
The AA, in coordination with local People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), has conducted joint operations in Yegyi, Lemyethna, Ingapu, Thabaung, and Pathein townships. This resistance coalition reportedly seized at least 10 military encampments and currently controls a section of the Pathein–Monywa Road.
While advancing from Magway, Bago, and Ayeyarwady, the junta is simultaneously reinforcing its naval presence along the Arakan coast.
