Nobody is in full control of Tedim town in Chin State, currently contested by the Junta and Chin resistance forces.
According to the Tedim People's Administrative Team (PAT-Tedim), over 70 houses in downtown Tedim have been destroyed by arson committed by the Junta troops.
Members of the Chin Brotherhood Alliance, the People's Defense Force - Zoland (PDF-Zoland), and the Chin National Defense Force (CNDF) launched an offensive targeting Tedim, successfully capturing the Junta's Microwave Hill camp and electricity office.
As a result, Chin resistance forces now control half of the town.
The Junta is deployed in four places within Tedim, maintaining both the 269th Infantry Battalion and the police station hill. The northern half of Tedim remains under Junta control.
"It is uncertain if there will be further fighting. If the enemy strikes, we are prepared to retaliate. Currently they are confined in their bases, so we maintain strong control over our area. Our goal is to achieve 100% success in completing this mission one day”, Jabeg,an official from PAT-Tedim said.
Following the capture of Tonzang and Cikha towns by the Ministry of Defense of the Government of Chinland and Chin joint forces on May 23, the Chin Brotherhood Alliance launched an offensive on Tedim, located adjacent to these towns, on May 26.
In response to the attacks on its bases in Tedim, the Junta retaliated by carrying out four arson attacks in downtown areas. According to PAT-Tedim, the Junta also conducted 12 airstrikes, but only 2 bombs landed in the outskirts and detonated.
"In previous arson attacks, Junta troops forced residents out of their homes, drenched the houses in gasoline, and ignited them. However, home-owners managed to extinguish the flames upon returning. After three such incidents, the Junta forbade residents from re-entering their homes, resulting in the complete destruction of the houses”, Jabeg said.
There have been instances where Junta troops intentionally burned the bodies of their fellow soldiers who died during clashes in the arson attacks, treating them as cremations.
At present, 73 houses in Tedim have been destroyed as a result of airstrikes and arson attacks. Reports suggesting over 100 houses were destroyed might not be precise, potentially conflating household counts. Some houses accommodate multiple families, particularly those rented out, thus affecting the tally.
Almost two weeks after the clashes began in Tedim, over 90 percent of downtown residents remain displaced by the conflict. Some temporarily return during the day to assess the situation, but they continue to seek refuge in villages outside the town at night.
Of the more than 5,200 residents of Sakawlan ward in Tedim, over 4000 have fled including more than 1,000 family members of soldiers from the 269th Infantry Battalion and 3,700 out of 3,800 residents in Myoma ward have also fled their homes. In Layloam ward, 500 out of 1,800 residents have been displaced.
