Myanmar junta claims recapture of gold mining hub
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A civil war has consumed Myanmar since a 2021 coup deposed the civilian government, with the military battling pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic armed organisations.
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YANGON – Myanmar’s junta claimed on July 24 to have ousted anti-coup rebels from a gold mining hub after a year-long battle, its second declared recapture of a key town in a week.
A civil war has consumed Myanmar since a 2021 coup deposed the civilian government
Scattered anti-coup forces initially struggled to make headway, but won a string of stunning victories – mostly in the north – when many banded together for a coordinated offensive starting late 2023.
In 2025, the junta’s China and Russia-backed forces have clawed back ground on the northern front and the state media said its soldiers managed “to fully retake” the town of Thabeikkyin on July 23.
Resident Ye Dinn said people had fled fighting to shelter in the forest or nearby schools and monasteries.
“People have nothing to eat and no place to flee to,” the 65-year-old said.
Thabeikkyin is about 100km north of the second-most-populous city of Mandalay and a lucrative hive of gold mining.
State mouthpiece The Global New Light of Myanmar said an anti-coup alliance attacked Thabeikkyin with “overwhelming strength” in August 2024, but the military’s counteroffensive retook the town after 17 major battles.
“We are really scared,” said another resident, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Nowhere is safe. We are all looking for a safe place, but people have no idea where they should go and hide.”
The junta on July 17 said it had recaptured the north-eastern town of Nawnghkio on another key highway towards Mandalay city, fending off allied rebels back further into the fringes of the country.
Earlier this week, guerillas said they ambushed a junta flotilla of five ships sailing up the Irrawaddy River north of Mandalay – another apparent sign of the military’s renewed regional offensive.
With control of Thabeikkyin and Nawnghkio, junta forces control two flanks of the town of Mogok – the renowned centre of Myanmar’s ruby mining industry which rebel forces claimed in the summer of 2024.
Mines excavating precious metals, gemstones and rare earth elements are coveted by all factions in Myanmar’s civil war, allowing them to fill their coffers and fund their offensives.
Some 3.5 million people are living displaced amid the war, according to the United Nations, while more than half the nation of around 50 million now live in poverty. AFP
