Myanmar Spring Chronicle – April 8 Overview
Moemaka, April 9, 2025
Resistance Forces Capture Inndaw and Falam
On April 7, resistance joint forces announced that they had successfully captured Inndaw in northern Sagaing Region and Falam in Chin State.
Inndaw was taken by combined forces of PDFs under the National Unity Government (NUG) and ABSDF battalions, while Falam was seized by the Chin Brotherhood, a coalition of three Chin armed groups.
This development came while the international community was calling for a halt to fighting due to the catastrophic earthquake that struck the Sagaing region—one of the most severe in 80 to 100 years. Despite this, the military junta has not stopped its airstrikes, and resistance forces have also continued offensives in areas not directly impacted by the quake.
The NUG was the first to announce a two-week suspension of offensive operations shortly after the earthquake. This was followed by similar unilateral ceasefire announcements from the Three Brotherhood Alliance (MNDAA, AA, TNLA), the military junta (until April 22, post-Thingyan), and later, the KIA. However, none of these amounted to mutual or coordinated ceasefires between opposing forces.
As a result, these unilateral pauses had no effect on ongoing battles in places like Naungcho, Inndaw (Sagaing), western Bago, and Falam (Chin State).
In terms of strategic value:
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Falam is the second-largest town in Chin State after Hakha. Although Hakha remains under junta control, Falam sits midway along the Kalay–Hakha highway, making it a key access point. The junta has already struggled for years to use overland routes to Hakha, so losing Falam is significant militarily and symbolically.
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Inndaw, located on the Mandalay–Myitkyina highway, is a critical junction town. Its capture by resistance forces means the junta now faces disrupted land routes to Kachin State, weakening its logistical control.
Meanwhile, the devastating earthquake has affected large swathes of the country, from Mandalay and Sagaing to Wundwin, Kyaukse, Pyawbwe, Naypyidaw, and Pyin Oo Lwin, killing over 3,500 people, injuring over 6,000, and causing billions of dollars in damage. Yet, the junta appears to prioritize the threat of losing territory over addressing life-saving humanitarian efforts.
While thousands have died, millions have lost homes and jobs, and entire regions are struggling with how to rebuild, military clashes continue in several parts of the country.
Internationally, the continued conflict—despite the natural disaster—makes it clear that Myanmar’s civil war is far from resolution, and hopes for negotiation between the warring sides remain bleak.
As countries around the world attempt to assist Myanmar’s earthquake victims, they do so while watching the ongoing flames of war. It’s become apparent that even natural catastrophes can’t pause the violence among Myanmar’s armed groups.
People across Myanmar are now facing both man-made and natural disasters simultaneously. Many displaced by war from northern Shan, Kachin, Chin, and Sagaing had sought refuge in Mandalay, only to be struck again by the earthquake. In one tragic example, the Skylight Villa condo collapse in Mandalay killed a young beauty queen who had previously fled conflict in Kachin State.
For the people of Myanmar, the painful truth remains: they do not yet have a political system they can trust, one that allows them to shape their own destiny. Instead, that destiny continues to be controlled by dictators and warlords, leaving the population caught between the wreckage of war and the ruin of disaster.