Heavy fighting in Katha, Myanmar, trapped civilians in crossfire during the three-hour period ending at 7:46 PM UTC on January 29, 2026, resulting in high civilian casualties, according to BNI Online. Accurate death tolls remain difficult to obtain amid ongoing clashes between junta forces and resistance fighters. Fierce combat also raged near Rakhine's Dhanyawady Naval Headquarters, where the military regime deployed ground, naval, and air units including drones and machine guns to defend against Arakan Army advances, BNI Online reported in updates from the reporting window. Separately, the Unicorn Guerrilla Force stated that resistance forces killed at least 10 junta soldiers and aligned militias in Mingun area of Sagaing Region’s Sagaing Township recently, per The Irrawaddy. More than 4,000 residents from five villages in western Pakokku Township were displaced after a 200-strong junta column advanced toward the Pakokku-Myaing border, with locals reporting shelters torched during the operation, according to The Irrawaddy. Kachin National Army troops withdrew from Myawaddy positions amid junta pressure after missing a January 25 deadline, BNI Online noted. In related developments, the Thai Army repatriated 68 escapees from a Karenni resistance-run prison to Myanmar military forces on January 26, BNI Online reported. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army denied reports of new telecom scam compounds under construction in Payathonzu involving 5,000 Chinese nationals. Bangladesh condemned Myanmar's portrayal of Rohingya as 'Bengalis' during International Court of Justice genocide hearings, rejecting counter-terrorism claims as evasion of accountability, per BNI Online. A pro-military Patriotic Association of Myanmar rally in Yangon on Tuesday supported the regime's delegation at the ICJ's second round of Rohingya genocide hearings, Democratic Voice of Burma reported. International watchdogs noted surged attacks on civilians in 2025 as the regime used violence ahead of a fraudulent vote, The Irrawaddy stated. Myanmar’s incoming legislature will be dominated by retired officers, junta ministers, and ultranationalists following the USDP’s election victory, according to the same source.
