Travelling on the national highway between Mandalay City and Myitkyina City, the Kachin State capital can now take up to five days, instead of the three days it previously did, due to ongoing fighting.
Fighting on the highway in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region and in and around Tigyaing Township in Sagaing Region means drivers often have to take detours in those areas that lengthen journey times.
The junta began operations along the Myitkyina to Mandalay highway in Kanbalu Township on 19 February 2025, sparking intense clashes with local resistance forces, who started indefinitely blocking the highway from 19 February.
Currently, drivers on the Mandalay to Myitkyina highway have to take a detour to avoid intense, ongoing fighting in Sabainantthar Village in Kanbalu Township, according to a driver who frequently uses the road.
He said to KNG: “We had to travel through a rough jungle road to avoid Sabainantthar Village. The journey on the National Highway used to take two nights and three days, but now it takes four to five days. Diverting from the main road has caused significant delays.”
These delays have also resulted in increased fuel consumption, higher toll costs, surging freight charges, and other expenses, according to local truck drivers.
Since the road was blocked in Kanbalu Township on 19 February there have been about 700 vehicles stuck moving slowly in a long line in Kanbalu Township. Some were carrying perishable goods that have now spoiled, such as meat, fish, and vegetables.
In August 2024, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)-led resistance coalition launched military operations in Indaw Township, Sagaing Region, also on the Mandalay to Myitkyina highway.
Since then, the Mandalay to Myitkyina highway has also been intermittently closed between the Kyaungkone intersection in Tigyaing Township to the south and Maw Luu Town in Indaw Township to the north. When this happens drivers have to take a jungle detour that bypasses Indaw Town.
Travellers have been urged not to use the Myitkyina to Mandalay national highway unless it is absolutely necessary, as fighting can erupt at any point along the highway at any time.
