Resistance forces rejected claims that the junta has regained full control of Katha Town in Sagaing Region.
Since late December, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), in coordination with resistance forces under the resistance-run National Unity Government (NUG), including the People’s Defence Force (PDF), has been carrying out a fierce offensive to capture Katha Town.
However, on March 29, reports emerged claiming the junta had regained full control of Katha Town and that resistance forces had withdrawn.
When KNG contacted resistance sources involved in the Katha offensive, they said the reports were untrue and that their forces were only temporarily holding back for strategic reasons.
“We are continuing to fight, advancing and retreating as required by military necessity. We are not withdrawing completely—that is false information. We have invested heavily in this operation, so we will not give up easily. We will continue fighting until we can take the town,” a resistance fighter said.
He added that the junta has retaken some parts of the town previously held by resistance forces, but the situation remained tense as of March 31.
Katha Township lies near the border with Kachin State. Its administrative center, Katha Town, consists of 11 urban wards, while the township includes nearly 200 villages. As of 2023, the junta controlled only the urban wards, with resistance forces holding the surrounding rural areas.
On December 28, the junta held elections in the Katha downtown wards under its control. On the same day, the KIA-PDF alliance launched attacks on the town, and tensions between the two sides have remained high since then.
On March 20, resistance forces attacked the base of the junta’s main combat unit, Light Infantry Battalion 309, in Katha Town. The junta then launched an air assault on a refugee camp sheltering at a monastery in the town.
The junta’s bombing has caused many civilian casualties, and resistance forces have repeatedly urged residents still remaining in the town to evacuate as soon as possible.
Resistance forces cautioned that rumors the junta had taken full control of the town since March 29 may have been spread deliberately to lure people back.
“The clashes have not completely subsided. It is concerning that people may return to the town believing these rumors. As displaced residents, they should not return yet,” a resistance fighter said.
Located on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, Katha is a strategically important town with land and river links to Kachin State. The KIA and PDF, along with the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) and other resistance groups, are involved in the operation to capture the town.
