Myanmar Military Regains Ground With 2-Year Conscription as Rebels Lose Key Road
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 9
Myanmar Military Regains Ground With 2-Year Conscription as Rebels Lose Key Road
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 9
Summary
Myanmar's junta has pushed many rebel forces onto the defensive, retaking key townships and a critical road from Mandalay to Myitkyina while advancing into border areas including Kachin, Chin and Karen states.
A conscription law enforced in 2024 has supplied what rebel commanders call "limitless manpower," forcing men to serve at least two years and helping reverse resistance gains made more than two years ago.
In Karen state, one rebel commander said up to 2,000 junta troops were moving toward Hpapun, while another said 400 soldiers were reinforcing nearby positions after rebels briefly captured a base in April.
Rebel commanders also said the military's edge has widened through more drones and air power after a security pact with Russia, while China-brokered ceasefires and tighter weapons flows have deepened ammunition shortages.
The shift underscores how a war that began after the 2021 coup has entered a harsher phase: the military still fully controls less than half the country, but thousands have been killed and millions displaced.
Is the junta's 'human wave' strategy a path to victory or a demographic disaster for Myanmar?
Can rebel ingenuity with homemade drones overcome the junta's overwhelming Russian-supplied air power?
Myanmar in Crisis: Military Gains, Mass Displacement, and the Humanitarian Toll (2024–2026)
Overview
In late 2025 and early 2026, the Myanmar military regime, strengthened by troops redeployed from northern Shan State after China-brokered ceasefires, launched a major counteroffensive. Supported by heavy aerial bombardments, the military recaptured key townships and reopened vital transport routes in northern Mandalay Region. This forced the Mandalay People’s Defense Force and allied groups to give up important positions. The regime’s renewed offensives not only restored control over strategic areas but also intensified crackdowns on local communities, deepening the humanitarian crisis and highlighting the significant influence of external actors like China on the conflict’s direction.