By Bala / MPA

The State Administration Council (SAC) Forces in Karenni State have been creating fake battles, according to the Central Information and Public Relations Department of the Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF).

During the second week of September 2024, SAC Forces in the eastern region of Demoso Township carried out attacks resembling real battles, even though no clashes had occurred with resistance forces, according to an official from the KNDF Central Information and Public Relations Department.

“That happened earlier in the Demoso area. They continuously fired heavy artillery, and also small arms. They fired from their own positions. When we checked with our frontline comrades to see if there had been any engagements, we found that there had been none. We did not launch any attacks either. They were firing on their own,” the official said.

The official further explained that, although SAC Forces in Demoso Township have fired heavy artillery during the period of coup, such continuous artillery and small arms fire usually only occurs during actual battles.

“In the past, they used to fire artillery, but not both small arms and artillery continuously. However, more recently, they have been firing heavy artillery continuously, for about an hour and a half to almost two hours. They fire around their own positions. Additionally, they are also firing small arms. Based on our analysis, they are conducting fake battles,” the official explained.

According to KNDF’s military records, SAC Forces have conducted three fake battles in Karenni State, which the Central Information and Public Relations Department of KNDF confirmed to MPA.

In addition, a local displaced person from Bawlakhe stated that SAC Forces had fired both heavy artillery and small arms for over an hour without any actual battle taking place, causing fear among the public.

“This happened around the second month of 2024. The artillery shells fell heavily into the town. We were staying in a monastery in Bawlakhe at the time, and artillery even fell in that area. No one was killed, but houses were damaged. We fled without even taking our belongings. Only after we reached a safe place did we realize that there had been no real battle—it was just them firing on their own for about an hour. We could hear both gunfire and artillery explosions,” the displaced person reported.

These fake battles by the junta are not only causing harm to the people’s livelihoods but are also being used as a pretext by the military to exploit the situation for their own gain, according to a member of a local civil society organization in Karenni State.

“By staging fake battles, what follows is uncertain. We are not sure of SAC’s exact intentions, but the people are forced to flee. When they leave, they abandon their homes and valuable belongings. The SAC Forces then engage in looting. SAC allows those responsible for such actions, and now only those kinds of people remain in the town, while the real local residents are in hiding,” the civil society member said.

A resident from eastern Demoso Township stated that SAC Forces stationed in Karenni State have been staging fake battles to report to their superiors and inflate ammunition and supply lists for profit.

“When SAC soldiers enter the villages, there are instances where they sell bullets and 40mm grenades. Although selling guns is rare, bullets are often sold. Villagers then resell these bullets wherever they can. As a result, these fake battles are not only causing hardship for the people but are also being used by SAC Forces to falsify reports on how much ammunition and grenades they have used, for personal gain,” the resident said.

Resistance forces were able to capture the key base of SAC Army at Htu Chaung, located between Bawlakhe and Hpasawng townships on 12 October, making transportation easier in the area, according to local sources.

Colonel Phone Naing, Adjutant General of the Karenni Army (KA) told MPA that currently, resistance forces have been attacking two key bases of Light Infantry Battalions no.134 and no.135 in Hpasawng Township for over seven months, and they are preparing to launch further offensives to capture these bases.