{"id":7338,"date":"2025-08-21T03:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T20:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=7338"},"modified":"2025-08-21T03:00:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T20:30:57","slug":"military-announces-recapture-of-demoso-as-election-linked-offensive-expands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2025\/08\/military-announces-recapture-of-demoso-as-election-linked-offensive-expands\/","title":{"rendered":"Military Announces Recapture of Demoso as Election-Linked Offensive Expands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 August 19 Perspective<\/strong><\/h3>\n

(Moemaka, August 20, 2025)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Military Announces Recapture of Demoso as Election-Linked Offensive Expands<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The military junta announced on August 19<\/strong> that its troops had successfully recaptured the town of Demoso<\/strong> in Karenni (Kayah) State, which had been taken by the KNDF and allied resistance forces in November 2023<\/strong>. The announcement follows several weeks of renewed offensives targeting resistance-held territories.<\/p>\n

Following the launch of Operation 1027<\/strong> in northern Shan State on October 27, 2023<\/strong>, the Karenni resistance launched their own offensive starting November 11<\/strong>, quickly capturing Loikaw<\/strong> and Demoso<\/strong>. Resistance forces held Demoso for nearly two years<\/strong>, until the junta began its counteroffensive earlier this month and has now declared full control<\/strong> over the town.<\/p>\n

Even before the full recapture, Demoso had become a contested zone<\/strong>, with prolonged back-and-forth fighting throughout 2023 and early 2024<\/strong>. The resistance eventually withdrew from Loikaw<\/strong> but continued holding Demoso\u2014until now. In Karenni State, resistance forces still control areas like Mese<\/strong> and Hpasawng<\/strong>, while the junta controls Bawlakhe<\/strong> and Phruso<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Although the military did not specify the purpose of the Demoso operation, observers speculate that it aims to retake lost ground<\/strong> and increase the number of townships under its control<\/strong> ahead of the upcoming general election<\/strong> scheduled to begin in December 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The junta says it began its offensive on August 4<\/strong>, and recaptured the town in just over two weeks<\/strong>, suggesting that resistance forces were not in a strong position<\/strong> to mount an extended defense.<\/p>\n

According to the military\u2019s statement, they seized six enemy bodies<\/strong> and five weapons<\/strong>, and claimed that bunkers had been built inside temples, hospitals, clinics, and civilian homes<\/strong>. State propaganda has been disseminating photos to justify airstrikes on civilian areas, attempting to deflect blame for damage to religious and public facilities.<\/p>\n

The military also claimed to have retaken key access routes<\/strong>, including the Si-Sai \u2013 Loikaw Road<\/strong>, and the Pinlaung \u2013 Saung Pyauk \u2013 Hpekhon \u2013 Moebye \u2013 Loikaw corridor<\/strong>, in May and July<\/strong>, respectively.<\/p>\n

Currently, the military appears to have reestablished road links between southern Shan and Karenni<\/strong>, with control over Loikaw and Demoso<\/strong>, signaling plans to further reclaim resistance-held areas inside Karenni State.<\/p>\n

The timing of these offensives seems to be strategically linked<\/strong> to the upcoming election. The junta is clearly working to increase the number of townships where elections can be held<\/strong>, even though Myanmar has no legal requirement for a minimum percentage of townships in order to hold a general election.<\/p>\n

Of Myanmar\u2019s 330 townships<\/strong>, approximately 100<\/strong> are currently under the control of resistance forces<\/strong>. The military only fully controls two-thirds<\/strong> of the township count\u2014and far less if measured by land area<\/strong>. In Chin, Karenni, Kachin, Karen, northern Shan, Sagaing, Magway, and Bago<\/strong>, large swaths remain under the control of EROs, PDFs, and other regional defense groups<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

With about four months<\/strong> left before the election, a pattern has emerged: the junta is conducting military offensives<\/strong> in the very areas it seeks to reclaim for electoral purposes.<\/p>\n

Examples include:<\/p>\n