The military regime and allied ethnic troops have recaptured Tonzang, a strategic town in northern Chin State on the winding mountain road that leads to the Indian border.
The Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA), an ethnic Zomi nationalist group aligned with the junta, said its forces fought alongside the military in a three-day battle, finally recapturing Tonzang on Tuesday.
Local sources said the regime deployed large numbers of troops, but it was the air force that determined the outcome of the battle. Combined troops advanced on Tonzang on a pincer movement from Tedim in the south and and Cikha in the north.
“They attacked us from two directions, backed by continuous air support with drones and warplanes, so we were forced to withdraw around 3 p.m. on Tuesday,” said a frontline resistance source. “But clashes continue on the outskirts.”
Residents report that around 600–800 troops had been advancing from from Tedim since May 11, occupying villages as they went.
Fighting and airstrikes displaced civilians from Tonzang and surrounding villages, with many fleeing into the hills. The military reportedly detained five displaced villagers from Lomzang village.
“People have been forced to abandon the town since May 10,” one resident told The Irrawaddy. Those who had returned after the resistance took control of Tonzang had to flee a second time, the source added.
The town was seized by allied resistance forces including the Chin National Army, Zo Army and Chinland Defense Forces in May 2024.
The town’s location on the Tedim–Kale trade route makes it strategically vital. The regime is clearly bent on reasserting control over official border routes with India since recapturing Falam last month.
Speculation is rife that its next target is Rihkawdar, a key trade hub on the Mizoram border, and already hundreds of residents have fled into India fearing imminent attacks.
The fall of Tonzang is also a warning for the Chin Brotherhood, which controls southern Chin State bordering Magwe Region, were the regime has been massing to launch offensives on Mindat and Kanpetlet.
