6 May 2026 — At least seven State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC) troops, including a captain, were killed today after resistance forces ambushed a convoy escorting over 100 non-Civil Disobedience Movement (non-CDM) civil servants back to Falam town.
The ambush, carried out by the Chinland Defence Force-Civic Defence Militia-Siyin (CDF-CDM Siyin), occurred along the Kalay-Falam route.
The non-CDM personnel—primarily staff from the health, education, and general administration departments, along with police—were forcibly sent from Kalay town, Sagaing Region, to Falam as the SSPC military attempted to restore its administrative machinery in the newly recaptured town.
Sources indicated the return was carried out under intense pressure, with SSPC authorities reportedly summoning and threatening staff to resume duties from 27 April.
The CDF-CDM Siyin group confirmed they specifically targeted only the last military vehicle in the convoy to avoid harming the civil servants, which also included Christian pastors and a pro-SSPC propagandist, Mr. Kyaw Soe Oo, who reportedly escaped unharmed.
The deployment of staff is a key part of the SSPC’s effort to solidify administrative control after recapturing Falam on 25 April 2026, ending a nearly year-long occupation by Chin resistance forces.
The Chin Brotherhood forces, including the Chin National Organization/Chin National Defence Force (CNO/CNDF), had strategically withdrawn due to the SSPC’s overwhelming air power but have vowed to retake the town with ‘greater strength.’
Fighting remains intense in the region. The SSPC is currently engaged in ongoing clashes along the critical Falam-Hakha Road as it seeks to dominate northern Chin State. This broader military escalation has included intensified SSPC airstrikes across townships like Tedim, Mindat, and Saw, resulting in widespread displacement, the bombing of schools, and civilian casualties.
Reports indicate that most of Falam town’s civilian population has fled due to the conflict, and local committees have urged against further divisions between CDM and non-CDM groups as the crisis deepens. – Reporting by Daniel
(Photos credited to FiftyTwo as posted by The Matupi Times)
