The military regime now controls only 107 of Myanmar’s 330 townships or 32 percent, according to a report by the civilian National Unity Government (NUG).
The report released Saturday by the NUG’s Ministry of Defense says People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) either completely or largely control 144 townships or 44 percent of the country.
They have completely captured 48 townships and mostly taken over the other 86, installing civilian administrations, besieging junta positions, and restricting movements of junta troops.
Fighting continues in 79 other townships, the report added.
The report claims that resistance groups have also gained control over strategic routes including the Mandalay-Shwebo-Myitkyina road and railway, Mandalay-Madaya-Hpakant-Bhamo road, Mandalay-Lashio-Muse road, Pathein-Monywa road, Yangon-Mawlamyine-Ye-Dawei-Myeik-Kawthaung road, Bago-Thaton-Hpa-an-Myawaddy road, Monywa-Kale-Tamu road, Minbu-Ann-Sittwe road, Pyay-Padaung-Taungup road, as well as important routes along the Irrawaddy, Chindwin, Sittoung and Salween rivers.
The regime has lost control of 11 key trade towns on the borders with China, India, Thailand, and Bangladesh.
Over the course of last year, 315 military officers were killed and 127 others injured, the report said. Some 53 senior officers ranking from colonel to major general were either killed, injured, or taken prisoner. Among the rank and file, 14,093 soldiers and border guard police were killed and 7,363 injured.
Anti-regime groups seized 741 junta positions. They were mostly seized by ethnic armies, but 162 were captured by PDFs and People’s Defense Teams in Sagaing, Magwe, Mandalay, Bago and Tanintharyi regions.
The military lost some 140 battalions including two regional commands—Northeastern Command in northern Shan State and Western Command in Rakhine—one regional operations command, five military operations commands, six operational bases, two airbases, 17 border guard police bases, as well as many infantry and light infantry battalions, and artillery, logistics, signal, and military engineering units.
Many other junta troops deserted. In the four years since the coup, nearly 15,000 soldiers and police joined the civil disobedience movement, and over 480 “have taken up revolutionary duties,” according to the NUG.
They now serve in PDFs in positions ranging from soldier to battalion commander, as well as personnel in offices such as the General Headquarters and the NUG’s Office of Strategic Studies.
