At least 18 civilians have been killed and more than 40 others arrested by junta troops and allied Pyu Saw Htee militia within the last 11 days in Sagaing Region’s Budalin Township.
Some 200 troops from Northwestern Command and Pyu Saw Htee have been raiding villages along the Monywa-Budalin road since Oct. 4 after resistance fighters ambushed regime forces near Budalin on Sept. 30, killing and capturing dozens of soldiers.
Budalin is 32 km from the regional capital Monywa, where the Northwestern Command is based.
Local sources said junta personnel and their allies are raiding villages and burning houses as they advance.
On Oct. 6, four people including a woman in her 60s were killed. On Oct. 12, six members of a family including three children were slaughtered in a store in Bandula New Ward in Budalin.
The next day the raiders killed seven people, including two women in their 30s, in Myauk Kyi Village. A person in Tet Hlaing Village was also confirmed killed, according to a member of the People’s Defense Force (PDF) in Budalin.
The combined forces continued their offensive through Myauk Kyi Village that day, raiding other nearby villages and capturing more than 40 civilians to use as human shields.
Over 50,000 Budalin locals have been forced to flee.
“The whole of Budalin is almost empty as people are fleeing because the military is creating chaos,” a local resident said.
Resistance forces in the area have urged villagers to evacuate quickly and stay away from advancing military columns.
Numerous Budalin, Depayin and Kani civilians have left their homes to escape junta arson attacks, often hiding in the jungle.
