Residents from 10 villages in Indaw Town, Sagaing Region, have now returned to their homes after being displaced by war for over 2 years.
In 2022, junta troops launched a large-scale invasion of the Mawteik Village Tract in Indaw, stationing themselves in Nantthar Village within that village tract. The regime forces burned surrounding villages, arrested and killed villagers, causing locals to flee their homes in fear.
After more than 2 years, in June, resistance forces successfully seized control of the entire Mawteik Village Tract. As a consequence, from July 11, the displaced villagers began returning to their respective home villages.
“With the green light from the resistance forces, everyone has returned home. Our first task now is to clean our houses”, a returnee told KNG.
The returning villagers are from 10 villages, such as Nantthar, Aungkone, Inpin, Kyuntaw, Tontaw, Mawteik, and Paypin. With the Mawteik Village Tract now free from junta control, residents can return home without worry.
Upon returning home after more than 2 years of makeshift living in forest areas, locals continue to struggle with significant hardships in accommodation and food security.
“Our biggest challenge right now is sustenance. It’s even tougher because we also need to rebuild our homes. Some people have no place to live because their houses were burned down”, a villager said.
Alongside the requirement for food aid for returning war-displaced individuals, there is also a pressing need for rehabilitation efforts to address the approximately 50 houses that were burned down in the villages of Aungkone, Nantthar, and Inpin.
These 10 villages are situated approximately 10 miles from Indaw, along Indaw-Banmauk Road, which is strategically important for the junta.
In the entirety of Indaw Township, the junta retains only a downtown base and a camp stationed at Nabar Intersection as its remaining strongholds. With the risk of further clashes looming, some residents have begun evacuating the town.
The junta units that invaded the Mawteik Village Tract in March 2022 were battalions from the 77th and 88th Divisions.
Indaw, situated on the Mandalay-Myitkyina Road and bordering Kachin State and Sagaing Region, holds significant strategic importance for the junta in providing logistics to Kachin State.
