ISP Mapping

Arakan Army Seized Key Bases in Northern Rakhine

Following the Operation 1027, clashes have resumed in Rakhine State, where the Arakan Army (AA) has seized control of at least 162 SAC military outposts. Significantly, nearly 40 of these SAC outposts were secured by the AA, following SAC forces’ withdrawal from their positions.

‘Operation 1027’ and Concerning Context

Three Brotherhood Alliance (3BHA) forces launched the military ‘Operation 1027’ on October 27, 2023, and simultaneously attacked junta bases in northern Shan State. Within a few days, the Allied forces had seized four towns, including Chinshwehaw, on the China-Myanmar border, and claimed control of Hsenwi.

Resumed Fighting Between SAC Forces and TNLA in its Context

Since July 2023, intense fighting resumed between SAC forces and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). This mapping shows townships and villages where these clashes broke out, the offensives of SAC forces, and the military posts of both sides in the past four months.

Three New China-Myanmar Cross-Border Trade Routes

Since the coup in February 2021, three new rail-road-sea cross-border trade routes connecting China and Myanmar have emerged. These three routes were not initially part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and they facilitate access by China’s western provinces to the Indian Ocean and neighboring countries in the region.

issue:09,

26 Dec 2022

Conflict, Peace & Security

Armed Clashes in Chin State: Total Over 590

From the 2021 Coup until November 2022, Chin State experienced at least 592 violent clashes across all its nine townships. These clashes were predominantly between the State Administration Council (SAC) forces and the People Defense Forces (PDFs), or between the SAC forces and EthnicRevolutionary Organizations (EROs). Of all the townships, Mindat township had the highest total of clashes - over 125. The total number of airstrikes conducted in the whole Chin State was at least 33; Paletwa township, where the Arakan Army is active, suffered the highest number of airstrikes - at least 27.

Guangxi-Yangon New Maritime Route

A new maritime trade route, Guangxi - Yangon which will directly connect Qinzhou port in Beibu gulf port in China’s Guangxi to Yangon port in Myanmar, was opened on October 28, 2022. The new trade route will connect the ports in member states of the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

China’s Major Investment Projects and Conflict Map

Since the military coup in February 2021, the conflict map of Myanmar has become broader and larger as a result of armed conflicts between SAC forces and ethnic armed organizations, as well as between SAC forces and newly formed local defense forces. A number of China's major projects have either come under attack or have been threatened as a result of conflicts in project areas. Most clashes took place in the area surrounding the Letpadaung Copper Mine. Later in June, Wanbao announced that it had suspended operations at the mine for more than 16 months.

Conflict Map of Southeastern Myanmar

Of all armed ethnic groups, the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army (KNU/KNLA) has clashed with junta forces most often since the coup. With the increasing number of clashes in the southeast of Myanmar, the clashes have become intensified, and the conflict has become more widespread in eastern Bago Region, Karen and Mon States and Tanintharyi Region. This conflict map by ISP-Myanmar shows locations where battles broke out, locations of airstrikes by junta forces, where houses were torched and destroyed, as well as the numbers of civilian deaths and refugees in the region.