Between May 27 and June 16, northern Myanmar’s Hpakant township—rich in jade and mired in conflict—has become a grim tableau of civilian suffering. Approximately 600 junta soldiers deployed from Kamaing in late April, intent on reasserting control after the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) seized strategic hilltop camps. Upon their arrival, they launched aggressive operations: raids on Hpakant and neighboring villages, artillery and drone strikes, torching of jade-mining infrastructure, and sweeping arrests of residents.
The human cost has been relentless. At least 30 civilians have been killed during this campaign—on average, one per day—many in air and drone artillery strikes on villages like Khun Sar Kone, where a June 6 drone-dropped shell killed nine civilians, including four children, and wiped out about ten houses.
In Hmaw Si Zar, Taung Yar Kone, and Hmaw Wan Lay, bodies continue to mount, bringing the civilian death toll to a tragic minimum of 30.
Local sources warn that junta troops in Hmaw Wan Kalay are threatening total destruction should resistance forces retaliate—forcing 80 percent of villagers to flee.
Meanwhile, fierce clashes persist: the KIA and People’s Defense Force (PDF) have engaged junta positions, inflicting heavy military casualties, including at least 20 junta troops and a battalion major killed around Hmaw Si Zar.
As the military intensifies its brutal push into jade-rich territory—burning mining machinery, dismantling homes, and threatening entire communities—the suffering of civilians is stark and unending. Hpakant has been transformed into a war zone, where every sunrise brings fresh loss and uncertainty. In these jade green hills, the lust for the precious stone has once again brewed a deadly storm—this time at the expense of everyday lives.
Unless international attention intensifies, the cycle of violence in Kachin State will continue unabated.
