Qualla: Battle of Loikaw (2021) https://qualla.com/battle-of-loikaw-2021 en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:36 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/w/5/m/p/battle-of-loikaw-2021-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Loikaw (2021) https://qualla.com/battle-of-loikaw-2021 Battle of Loikaw (2021): Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-loikaw-2021/ Photo credit Ninjastrikers, CC BY-SA 4.0. Three months after Myanmar's military seized power on 1 February 2021, the capital of the country's smallest state became a battlefield. Loikaw -- a city of roughly 50,000 people nestled in the mountains of Kayah State -- had never been a center of armed resistance. Its university professors taught classes, its markets opened on schedule, and its relationship with the Tatmadaw, while uneasy, was governed by ceasefires that had held for years. Then the coup happened, and Loikaw's civilians decided to fight back with whatever they had.

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]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/5/m/p/battle-of-loikaw-2021-wp/w5mp-battle-of-loikaw-2021-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Loikaw (2021): From Classrooms to Barricades https://qualla.com/battle-of-loikaw-2021/ Photo credit Ninjastrikers, CC BY-SA 4.0. Massive protests erupted in Loikaw on 8 February 2021, just one week after the coup. For weeks, the demonstrations remained mostly peaceful, though over twenty people were injured during clashes with security forces. The turning point came on 12 March, when several professors at ...

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]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/5/m/p/battle-of-loikaw-2021-wp/w5mp-battle-of-loikaw-2021-from-classrooms-to-barricades.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Loikaw (2021): A City Under Siege https://qualla.com/battle-of-loikaw-2021/ Photo credit Ninjastrikers, CC BY-SA 4.0. On 20 May, protests escalated into armed skirmishes. Karenni National Progressive Party fighters clashed with junta troops near Bawlakhe Township, and within days, running battles engulfed Loikaw itself -- its streets, the road to Demoso, and surrounding villages. An attack on Hl...

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]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/5/m/p/battle-of-loikaw-2021-wp/w5mp-battle-of-loikaw-2021-a-city-under-siege.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Loikaw (2021): The Uneasy Ceasefire https://qualla.com/battle-of-loikaw-2021/ Photo credit Ninjastrikers, CC BY-SA 4.0. A ceasefire took effect on 12 June, though junta forces continued sporadic shelling in the days that followed. Life in Loikaw contracted to the bare minimum -- fuel ran short, and a curfew restricted shopping to a four-hour window between 5am and 9am. Residents of Demoso, Phruso,...

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]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/5/m/p/battle-of-loikaw-2021-wp/w5mp-battle-of-loikaw-2021-the-uneasy-ceasefire.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Loikaw (2021): Slow Collapse Into Winter https://qualla.com/battle-of-loikaw-2021/ Photo credit Ninjastrikers, CC BY-SA 4.0. The junta declared the ceasefire over on 17 September, launching an offensive from Pekon in neighboring Shan State. What followed was a grinding series of ambushes, roadblocks, and village burnings. In November, eighteen junta soldiers and one Karenni Army fighter died in clashes...

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]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/5/m/p/battle-of-loikaw-2021-wp/w5mp-battle-of-loikaw-2021-slow-collapse-into-winter.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Loikaw (2021): A Capital Emptied https://qualla.com/battle-of-loikaw-2021/ Photo credit Ninjastrikers, CC BY-SA 4.0. On 6 January 2022, junta forces launched a full offensive into Loikaw. The KNDF and PDF were embedded among the civilian population, making the city impossible to take without destroying it. Much of Loikaw's population fled. The 2021 battle had not produced a decisive victor, but...

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]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/5/m/p/battle-of-loikaw-2021-wp/w5mp-battle-of-loikaw-2021-a-capital-emptied.mp3 0:06 6 full