Resistance forces wanting to take Tamu Town who already control the rest of Tamu Township in Sagaing Region have blocked all supply routes into the town since 20 April 2025.

Though the junta still controls Tamu Town on the Indian border and the nearby border crossing bridge, resistance forces that control all of the surrounding Tamu Township also control all the routes between the border crossing bridge and Tamu Town.

Since 20 April resistance forces have blockaded all routes into Tamu Town from the Indian border and elsewhere in Myanmar.

An officer from People’s Defence Force (PDF) Tamu District Battalion 2, one of the resistance forces blockading Tamu Town said: “As we're about to launch an operation focused on Tamu Town, we won't allow any goods to be transported into the town anymore. That includes goods coming from the Indian side as well. We want to warn the public not to violate this ban—do not try to move goods secretly or attempt to bribe local resistance groups to get them through.”

He added that strict action will be taken against anyone who tries to violate the ban and that any members of resistance groups caught allowing goods to be smuggled into the town in exchange for bribes will face serious punishments under military regulations.

A resident of Tamu Town said that the resistance forces’ blockade had caused rising prices and shortages of certain goods in the town.

He said to Khonumthung: “Strict blockades have been in place since 20 April. Goods are being blockaded at Bokekan Village [in Tamu Township], and nothing is allowed to pass through from there to Tamu Town. Because of this tight enforcement, not even a needle can enter Tamu [Town] now. As a result, prices have soared. The prices of food, beer, liquor, cigarettes, and even betel leaves have skyrocketed. For instance, betel leaves in Bokekan cost 6,000 to 7,000 MMK per viss [about 1.7 kilograms], but in Tamu, they’re selling for 30,000 to 40,000 MMK per viss. Rice has been stockpiled in advance in the town. Beer and cigarettes, which were already in short supply due to the tax hike, are now almost completely out of stock.”

Though there has not yet been any fighting in Tamu Town some residents have already evacuated across the border to Moreh Town in India’s Manipur State or to other safer areas in Tamu Township and elsewhere in Myanmar. Other residents have packed all their possessions so that they can leave at short notice if fighting breaks out in the town.