Myanmar Spring Chronicle – August 19 Perspective
(Moemaka, August 20, 2025)
Military Announces Recapture of Demoso as Election-Linked Offensive Expands
The military junta announced on August 19 that its troops had successfully recaptured the town of Demoso in Karenni (Kayah) State, which had been taken by the KNDF and allied resistance forces in November 2023. The announcement follows several weeks of renewed offensives targeting resistance-held territories.
Following the launch of Operation 1027 in northern Shan State on October 27, 2023, the Karenni resistance launched their own offensive starting November 11, quickly capturing Loikaw and Demoso. Resistance forces held Demoso for nearly two years, until the junta began its counteroffensive earlier this month and has now declared full control over the town.
Even before the full recapture, Demoso had become a contested zone, with prolonged back-and-forth fighting throughout 2023 and early 2024. The resistance eventually withdrew from Loikaw but continued holding Demoso—until now. In Karenni State, resistance forces still control areas like Mese and Hpasawng, while the junta controls Bawlakhe and Phruso.
Although the military did not specify the purpose of the Demoso operation, observers speculate that it aims to retake lost ground and increase the number of townships under its control ahead of the upcoming general election scheduled to begin in December 2025.
The junta says it began its offensive on August 4, and recaptured the town in just over two weeks, suggesting that resistance forces were not in a strong position to mount an extended defense.
According to the military’s statement, they seized six enemy bodies and five weapons, and claimed that bunkers had been built inside temples, hospitals, clinics, and civilian homes. State propaganda has been disseminating photos to justify airstrikes on civilian areas, attempting to deflect blame for damage to religious and public facilities.
The military also claimed to have retaken key access routes, including the Si-Sai – Loikaw Road, and the Pinlaung – Saung Pyauk – Hpekhon – Moebye – Loikaw corridor, in May and July, respectively.
Currently, the military appears to have reestablished road links between southern Shan and Karenni, with control over Loikaw and Demoso, signaling plans to further reclaim resistance-held areas inside Karenni State.
The timing of these offensives seems to be strategically linked to the upcoming election. The junta is clearly working to increase the number of townships where elections can be held, even though Myanmar has no legal requirement for a minimum percentage of townships in order to hold a general election.
Of Myanmar’s 330 townships, approximately 100 are currently under the control of resistance forces. The military only fully controls two-thirds of the township count—and far less if measured by land area. In Chin, Karenni, Kachin, Karen, northern Shan, Sagaing, Magway, and Bago, large swaths remain under the control of EROs, PDFs, and other regional defense groups.
With about four months left before the election, a pattern has emerged: the junta is conducting military offensives in the very areas it seeks to reclaim for electoral purposes.
Examples include:
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A major offensive on the Asia Highway between Myawaddy and Kawkareik in Karen State;
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A thousand-strong campaign into Hpakant, Kachin State;
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Movements toward Yaw, southern Chin State;
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Attacks around Thabeikkyin and Mogok in Mandalay Region;
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An advance toward Kyaukme after retaking Naungcho in northern Shan;
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The recapture of Demoso in Karenni State.
While resistance forces worked together during the first and second phases of Operation 1027, they have not yet coordinated a unified counteroffensive in response to these recent assaults, and currently appear to be in defensive mode across multiple fronts.