Fierce fighting has erupted between the junta and the resistance coalition led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in the area between Mongnawng and Ma Mon Kai villages in the Indawgyi Lake region of Kachin State’s Monghnyin District.
Fighting broke out on September 1 after joint forces of the junta and its ally, the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), advanced into Ma Mon Kai Village, which is controlled by the KIA-led coalition.
“Ma Mon Kai is under KIA control. The fighting started on September 1, after SNA troops moved in from Mongnawng. Clashes went on through the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Now, villagers are avoiding the forests around Mongnawng, afraid they might get caught in the crossfire,” a 40-year-old Mongnawng villager said.
Currently, the KIA is holding Ma Mon Kai, and the junta–PNO joint forces are positioned around Mongnawng. The clashes are unfolding in the forested area between the two villages.
Since the fighting broke out between the two villages, many residents of Mongnawng and Ma Mon Kai have fled to safety.
“I’ve heard people are fleeing from Ma Mon Kai, too. Here in Mongnawng, if we try to leave and come across SNA troops, they arrest us. They usually tie the villagers’ hands behind their backs and interrogate them. The whole village feels eerily quiet now,” the Mongnawng villager added.
The recent conflict has forced not only residents of Mongnawng and Ma Mon Kai but also people from five nearby villages to flee to Hopin and Monghnyin towns.
Since May, the junta has been trying to assert control over the entire Indawgyi Lake region, and skirmishes keep flaring up across the area.
In May 2024, the KIA and allied People’s Defence Force (PDF) captured the junta’s Whaylon, Chaungwa, and Nyaungpin camps in the Indawgyi Lake region. From the third week of June, the SNA began moving into the area and establishing a foothold.
The Indawgyi Lake region lies along the Monghnyin–Gwaykhar Road, which leads into Hpakant Township, Kachin State’s jade mining hub. Its strategic importance is why the junta and SNA are trying to control the entire area.
