By Hlaing / MPA
In IndawGyi and Nammun Towns which are located in Mohnyin District, Kachin State, the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) has been forcibly conscripting civilians, according to local sources.
Since early October 2024, SNA has been conducting forced conscription at the entry and exit gates of Nammun, as a 30-year-old local from Indaw Township reported.
“On October 5, four people, including someone I know, were captured by the SNA at the Nantmun town gate while returning from Mohnyin to the Tarmahkan Village in Hpakant. SNA sent letters to their families notifying them of the abduction. SNA troops are worsening the situation in Nammun, past Indawgyi,” the source told MPA.
Additionally, locals also reported that due to ongoing clashes in Hpakant, young men and middle-aged individuals returning to Indawgyi Town or fleeing the conflict have also been arrested by both the junta and SNA forces.
“At gates, SNA troops are more than those of the junta. In Nammun, it’s mostly SNA soldiers, many of them quite young. SNA soldiers know trails through forests very well,” said a 20-year-old witness named Ma Lin.
A 27-year-old man from Nantmun, familiar with the situation on the ground, stated, “In the clashes occurring in Pinlebu and Kawlin in Upper Sagaing, many of those fighting for the junta are either forcibly conscripted civilians from the militia training or new recruits from the Shanni Army (SNA). The junta’s forces are no longer strong, so they are capturing new recruits and forcing them into the military.”
Additionally, the junta and SNA troops are doing thorough searches on civilians traveling in Mohnyin, Hopin, and Mogaung Townships, according to local reports.
After the military council enforced the People’s Military Service Law, initially drafted on November 4, 2010, and officially enacted on February 10, 2024, SNA has been forcibly recruiting men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 for military service.
According to a man from Hpakant, the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) has been conducting widespread forced recruitments for nearly seven months after the implementation of the military service law.
“In areas south of Sezin Village, a large number of people have been abducted and forcibly conscripted recently. In just one training session, they conscripted around 500 people, regardless of ethnicity. Since the military service law was enacted, SNA has already completed three training sessions of the forced conscripts and I heard they are now holding the fourth batch of the training,” the man added.
Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) was founded in 1989 and is currently active in military operations in collaboration with the junta troops in Kachin State’s Mohnyin and Mogaung Townships, as well as upper Sagaing Region, including Hkamti, Indaw, Homalin, Paungbyin, Banmauk, Pinlebu, Kawlin and Wuntho Townships.
On October 8, 2024, joint forces of the military council and the SNA’s Battalion 614 retreated from Pinlebu, prompting local resistance joint forces to seize control. Some of the captured prisoners were identified as SNA soldiers, according to statements from resistance groups.
