Myanmar’s military designated the Karen National Union (KNU) a terrorist organization ahead of planned December elections; the KNU promised to resist, accusing the junta of being the real terrorists and pledging to disrupt what critics call rigged polls (AP)
Junta Airstrike on Rakhine Town Kills Twelve
Junta warplanes bombed Mrauk-U’s Daing Kyi quarter, killing at least twelve civilians and injuring twenty; the strikes also destroyed homes in the historic Rakhine town controlled by the Arakan Army, which denounced the attack as a war crime (Irrawaddy)
Junta Shuts Thai-Myanmar Trade Bridge
The military regime closed the No. 2 Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge linking Myawaddy and Mae Sot to curb alleged illegal trade funding armed groups, disrupting over $120 million in monthly commerce and causing fuel prices in Myawaddy to nearly double; Thai officials said the move, which threatens $3.9 billion in annual trade, came without prior notice (Irrawaddy)
Junta Airstrikes Kill Thirty-Two in Mawchi
Junta warplanes struck Mawchi town in Karenni State, killing thirty-two civilians and injuring five, in what local officials called the deadliest attack yet in the region; resistance authorities said the strikes aimed to undermine the town’s economy and terrorize residents, while junta jets continued additional attacks (Irrawaddy)
Junta Announces December 28 Elections
Multi-phase general elections will begin on December 28, marking the first vote since the military took power in a 2021 coup; the party that won two elections prior to the coup will not be permitted to run (BBC)
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar in June called plans for elections a “mirage of an election exercise” (Irrawaddy)
EU-Manufactured Anti-Jamming Technology Found in Junta Drones
Despite EU sanctions, the UK-based Conflict Armament Research organization found that Myanmar’s military drones use EU-manufactured high-precision Global Navigation Satellite System receivers equipped with anti-interference technology; the drones were allegedly sold to a Chinese company in Ruili, which later sold them to the junta (The Irrawaddy)
TNLA Set to Re-Enter Talks With Junta
Members of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, a group actively resisting Myanmar’s junta, are set to meet with junta officials in August under pressure from China; this will be the first round of talks between the TNLA and the junta since April 28-29 (BBC)
Junta Re-Suspends Privacy Laws
Myanmar’s new governing body, the National Security and Peace Commission, announced the re-suspension of Articles 5, 7, and 8 of the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens, granting the junta the ability to intercept private communications and seize and destroy private correspondence; authorities may also raid properties and arrest citizens without a warrant or witnesses (BBC; The Irrawaddy)
Junta Ends State of Emergency, Forms Interim Government
The junta government lifted a four-year state of emergency as it prepares to hold an election in December; Myanmar’s constitution does not allow elections to be held during a state of emergency (NYT)
In preparation for the election, the junta introduced a caretaker administration alongside a special commission to oversee the election, with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing retaining his power as interim president and chief of the armed forces; Western governments have denounced the election as opposition groups have been barred from running or have refused to take part (Reuters)
Junta Enacts Law Punishing Disruptions to Election
A new law signed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing declared that any disruptor to the electoral process, including through protests or speeches, will receive three to ten years imprisonment and a fine; most severely, if a disruption results in someone’s death, then the involved persons will be sentenced to death (AP)
Trump Considers Rare Earths Deal With Junta, KIA
To divert Myanmar’s rare earth minerals from China, the Trump administration allegedly discussed approaches to reaching a deal with Myanmar’s ruling military junta or the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) rebels; working with the junta would mark a significant change in U.S. policy, as the United States has condemned the military leaders’ 2021 coup and subsequent civil war (Reuters)
U.S. Sanctions Relaxation in Myanmar
The United States lifted financial sanctions on multiple allies of Myanmar’s ruling generals after the junta leader wrote Trump a praiseful letter; the Biden administration had sanctioned junta members (Reuters)
That letter was in response to a Trump tariff threat that—perhaps inadvertently—constituted rare U.S. direct acknowledgement of the junta’s authority (CBS/AFP)
Junta Takes Control of Mandalay Gold Hub
Myanmar’s military junta reportedly retook Thabeikkyin, a gold-mining hub one hundred kilometers from Mandalay City on the bank of the Irrawaddy River, after eleven months under the control of the Mandalay People’s Defense Force; the junta’s recapture of Thabeikkyin marks its third victory in July, following the seizure of Mobye on July 2 and Nawnghkio on July 16 (BBC; The Irrawaddy)
Myanmar Junta Receiving Training from Belarusian Universities
According to Justice for Myanmar, three Belarusian universities have been providing advanced technical training to Myanmar military personnel in air defense as well as ground-forces logistics and weaponry (The Irrawaddy)
Junta Seizes Control of Nawnghkio
Myanmar’s junta forces recaptured Nawnghkio from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army following three months of fighting; Nawnghkio lies along the Mandalay–Lashio–Muse trade route, which connects Myanmar to China (The Irrawaddy)
The town also connects Mandalay and southern Shan State to the largely opposition-controlled northern Shan State (The Irrawaddy).
Junta Airstrikes in Mandalay Region and Karenni State Kill Seven Civilians
In Mawchi, a resistance-controlled town in Karenni State known for its tin and tungsten mines, junta forces killed five civilians; airstrikes killed two children in TNLA-controlled Mogoke in Northern Mandalay, a ruby hub (The Irrawaddy)
China Holds Truce Talks With Junta, TNLA
According to a spokesperson from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Chinese representatives held separate talks with the TNLA and Myanmar’s junta to negotiate a truce; the talks stalled, as the TNLA maintained that it would not cede control of Nawnghkio, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Mogoke, and Momeik, five towns on the China-Myanmar trade route (The Irrawaddy)
Peace talks are expected to resume in August (The Irrawaddy)
Myanmar Junta Chief Visits Russia to Discuss Helicopter Deal
While touring the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant with Buryatia governor Alexey Tsydenov, Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing stated that he had identified various “areas of bilateral cooperation”; Tsydenov claimed that helicopters manufactured at the plant “have been used in Myanmar for many years” (The Irrawaddy)
Myanmar Junta Launches Bomb Campaign While Hosting Peace Forum
In Naypyitaw, the Myanmar junta started a three-day peace conference with signatories from the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, the United Wa State Army, the National Democratic Alliance Army, Shan State Progress Party, and registered political parties from the junta’s proposed upcoming elections; representatives from China, India, Russia, and Thailand attended the opening ceremony (The Irrawaddy)
Also on Wednesday, the junta bombed and launched assaults on three towns, including one ruby town and tin and tungsten mines, reportedly killing seven people, injuring fourteen, and destroying houses (The Irrawaddy)
TNLA, Junta Clash at Nawnghkio
Hundreds of troops from Myanmar’s military junta attacked the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) with artillery, drones, and airstrikes causing an unconfirmed number of casualties; Nawnghkio is an area of strategic importance, as it is located on the road to China and connects Mandalay to allies of the TNLA (The Irrawaddy)
Meanwhile, Chinese ambassador Ma Jia visited Myanmar to discuss infrastructural projects between the Chinese border and the Rakhine State’s Indian Ocean coast; the projects include a deep-sea port and a railway connecting Rakhine to Yunnan, China (The Irrawaddy)
Surge in Child Soldiers Reported in Myanmar
A report released by Human Rights Watch found that the presence of child soldiers in Myanmar’s military has surged since the 2021 Myanmar coup and a later conscription law in February 2024; the Myanmar junta is also considered by the UN Secretary-General to be the only state actor found for five grave violations against children in armed conflict (HRW)
Junta Discusses Entry of Chinese Troops to Myanmar
One day after saying that it was ready to certify Chinese private security companies who wish to operate in Myanmar, the junta’s Central Supervisory Committee on Private Security Service met for the first time and discussed the entry of Chinese security troops into the country (The Irrawaddy)
Fighting Continues in Hpakant Township
Fighting in Hpakant, a town with extensive jade mines, continued between junta forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), as the KIA aims to prevent the junta from gaining control of the area’s mines; fighting has persisted since early May (The Irrawaddy)
Chinese-Linked Militia Allegedly Controls Rare Earth Mines in Shan State
In the Shan state in eastern Myanmar, the United Wa State Army, an armed group with commercial and military links to China, reportedly protects access to numerous rare earth mines; access to rare earths is important for China’s bargaining power with the United States in ongoing trade negotiations (Reuters)
Meanwhile, in Kachin State, around two hundred junta members and allied militants launched a raid on the jade hub of Hpakant, setting fire to vehicles and heavy machinery (The Irrawaddy)
At the United Nations, China’s Ambassador denounced a resolution regarding the human rights of Rohingya Muslims, saying that there should be less emphasis on the politicization of human rights violations (The Irrawaddy)
Myanmar Rebels Allegedly Shoot Down Military Junta Jet
In the Sagaing region west of Mandalay, a military junta jet was reportedly shot down by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), a rebel group (Euronews/AP)