A view of a relief camp where people who fled Myanmar stay, at the border village of Zokhawthar, Champhai district, in India鈥檚 northeastern state of Mizoram, India, November 15, 2023. REUTERS
Myanmar鈥檚 military rulers have ordered all government staff and those with military experience to prepare to serve in case of emergency, an official said on Thursday, after the junta reported 鈥渉eavy assaults鈥� from insurgents in several places.
Myanmar鈥檚 military has battled ethnic minority and other insurgencies for decades but a 2021 coup has brought unprecedented coordination between anti-military forces that are mounting the biggest challenge to the army in years.
The junta had orders all government staff and former military personnel to form units to respond to emergency situations, said Tin Maung Swe, secretary of an administrative council in the capital, Naypyitaw.
鈥淚f necessary, such a unit might be required to go out and serve for natural disasters, and security,鈥� the junta鈥檚 council said in an order.
Tin Maung Swe confirmed the order while stressing that the situation in the capital, in central Myanmar, was calm.
鈥淭his is the plan to help in the event of an emergency,鈥� he told Reuters.
A parallel government formed by pro-democracy politicians to oppose the military, and allied with some insurgent factions, has launched a 鈥淩oad to Naypyitaw鈥� campaign which it says is aimed at taking control of the capital.
Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said late on Wednesday the military was facing 鈥渉eavy assaults from a significant number of armed rebel soldiers鈥� in Shan State in the northeast, Kayah State in the east and Rakhine State in the west.
Zaw Min Tun said some military positions had been evacuated and the insurgents had been using drones to drop hundreds of bombs on military posts.
鈥淲e are urgently taking measures to protect against drone bomb attacks effectively,鈥� the junta spokesperson said.
UN CONCERN
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 2021 coup, when the military ousted a government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, ending a decade of tentative democratic reform.
The military ruled Myanmar with an iron fist for 50 years after seizing power in 1962, insisting it was the only institution capable of holding the diverse country together.
The 2021 coup dashed hopes for reform and triggered a groundswell of opposition that has united pro-democracy activists in towns and cities with ethnic minority forces fighting for self-determination in hinterlands.
Clashes have sent refugees into all of Myanmar鈥檚 neighbors, including thousands who fled into India in recent days from fighting in Chin State in the northwest.
Western governments have re-imposed sanctions on the Myanmar junta in response to the coup and crackdowns on protests and demanded the release of Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy politicians and activists.
Myanmar鈥檚 Southeast Asian neighbors have tried to encourage a peace process but the generals have largely ignored their efforts.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres was deeply concerned by the 鈥渆xpansion of conflict in Myanmar鈥� and called for all parties to protect civilians, a spokesperson said.
鈥淭he number of displaced people in Myanmar now exceeds 2 million,鈥� the spokesperson said.
The Arakan Army (AA) rebel group fighting for autonomy in Rakhine State said on Wednesday that dozens of police and military men had surrendered or been captured as its forces advanced.
The junta spokesperson denounced the group saying it was 鈥渄estroying鈥� Rakhine State.
Separately, a video posted on social media by anti-military forces in Kayah State, and verified by Reuters, showed wounded junta troops surrendering to insurgents, who were seen offering medical help.
鈥淲e are ready to shoot you right now but we won鈥檛 do that. You raise the white flag and walk out, nothing will happen to you,鈥� a fighter who identified himself as the vice commander-in-chief of the rebel Karenni National Defence Force is heard telling the junta soldiers.