Bo Let Ya: Unity in Ah Nyar and Stronger Alliances Are Key to Advancing the Revolution
At the panel discussion “Achieving Victory Through Alliances: Challenges and Opportunities,” organized by People’s Goal and People’s Spring as part of the Thought Progress Program, Bo Let Ya, Battalion Commander of Shwebo District Battalion 9706 (Daung Ni Battalion), shared his perspective on the current state of revolutionary forces and the importance of unity among armed groups.
Drawing from his experiences on the ground in the Ah Nyar (central dry zone) region, Bo Let Ya emphasized that while the revolution has gained significant momentum, stronger cooperation and strategic coordination among revolutionary forces will be essential to achieve victory.
“Whether it's MNDAA or TNLA, I think they were forced to give up or hand back captured territories because of political pressures.”
Welcoming the Formation of the Spring Revolution Alliance
Bo Let Ya welcomed the formation of the Spring Revolution Alliance (SRA), describing it as a timely development as the momentum of the revolution continues to grow.
With nineteen organizations coming together under a common alliance, he believes the SRA has the potential to strengthen military coordination and contribute significantly to the revolutionary movement.
“The tide of the revolution is rising,” he said. “Having strong organizations unite with shared military objectives is something that is very much needed at this moment.”
However, he also acknowledged that building a functioning alliance will not be easy. Each participating organization has its own political aspirations and operational priorities. For the alliance to succeed, these groups must negotiate, coordinate, and collaborate in order to establish a joint command structure under a shared revolutionary vision.
If such cooperation can be achieved, he believes the alliance could mark an important step forward for the revolution.
Maintaining Trust Among Revolutionary Allies
Bo Let Ya also reflected on the complex dynamics surrounding territories captured during joint military operations in northern Shan State.
For the Ah Nyar People’s Defense Forces (PDFs), participation in joint operations alongside Ethnic Revolutionary Organizations (EROs) during Operation 1027 represented an important milestone in military cooperation.
However, the situation became complicated when some captured territories were later returned or abandoned.
In certain cases, revolutionary forces had to withdraw due to intense counter offensives by the State Administration Council (SAC). In other cases, captured towns were handed back following political negotiations and external pressures.
According to Bo Let Ya, such developments have caused frustration among fighters who sacrificed their lives to seize those territories.
“In northern Shan State, many Ah Nyar PDF soldiers sacrificed their lives to capture those bases,” he said. “So it is disheartening to see those territories handed back.”
Despite these difficulties, he does not believe such events will fundamentally damage relationships among allied forces.
He noted that powerful external political pressures, particularly from neighboring countries, played a major role in shaping those outcomes.
While the circumstances remain complex, he believes that revolutionary alliances will continue to cooperate in the future, whether directly on the battlefield or indirectly through support such as training and logistical assistance.
The Complex Landscape of Armed Groups in Ah Nyar
Bo Let Ya described the situation in Ah Nyar as particularly complex due to the large number of armed groups operating in the region.
These include:
People’s Defense Forces (PDF) under the National Unity Government’s Ministry of Defense (NUG MOD)
Local People’s Defense Forces (LPDF)
Independent armed organizations and alliances such as those within the SRA
Although these groups share the same broad objective of resisting the military junta, they operate under different command structures and political positions.
This diversity sometimes makes coordination difficult.
Nevertheless, Bo Let Ya emphasized that cooperation among these forces is unavoidable if the revolution is to succeed.
“We cannot avoid cooperation,” he said. “We must rally under a single revolutionary flag.”
Growing Combat Experience and Capabilities
Despite these challenges, Bo Let Ya highlighted the significant progress revolutionary forces have made over the past several years.
In the early stages of the Spring Revolution, resistance groups were poorly equipped and relied on basic weapons such as muskets and improvised firearms.
Today, the situation has changed considerably.
Through battlefield experience, captured weapons, and increased organization, revolutionary forces have significantly improved their military capabilities.
Recent operations in the Shwebo area have demonstrated this progress, where revolutionary forces successfully destroyed entire enemy columns during coordinated attacks.
These successes were made possible in part by the experience fighters gained during joint operations with ERO alliances in northern Shan State and Mandalay Region during Operation 1027.
The Strategic Importance of Sagaing and Magway
Bo Let Ya also emphasized the importance of Sagaing and Magway regions, which he described as central strongholds of Bamar revolutionary forces.
These regions host a large concentration of PDFs and LPDFs and have become key battlegrounds in the conflict.
According to him, the military junta has suffered significant setbacks in conventional ground battles in these areas. As a result, the junta has increasingly relied on indiscriminate airstrikes targeting civilian communities.
The goal of these attacks, he said, is to create fear and drive a wedge between revolutionary forces and local populations.
By bombing civilian areas and spreading propaganda, the junta seeks to convince communities that supporting revolutionary forces will only bring more violence and instability.
Bo Let Ya described this strategy as both cruel and calculated.
Toward Coordinated Large Scale Offensives
Looking ahead, Bo Let Ya believes the revolution must move beyond fragmented guerrilla operations toward larger coordinated offensives.
For this to happen, revolutionary forces must strengthen trust, improve chain of command systems, and integrate their efforts more effectively.
If forces across Sagaing and Magway can unite and conduct coordinated operations across the region, he believes it would significantly weaken the military junta.
“Everyone wants unity,” he said. “If we can act together in solidarity, Ah Nyar can be liberated, and the whole country can be liberated.”
With experienced fighters, growing manpower, and increasing battlefield knowledge, Bo Let Ya believes revolutionary forces are in a strong position.
However, achieving further progress will require stronger logistical support and better coordination among different groups.
Setting Shared Strategic Objectives
In closing, Bo Let Ya stressed that revolutionary forces must move beyond focusing solely on liberating their own territories.
Instead, they must define shared strategic objectives aimed at dismantling the military dictatorship as a whole.
Currently, the revolutionary landscape includes multiple actors:
forces under the NUG MOD
alliances such as the SRA
local defense forces
Ethnic Revolutionary Organizations
If these groups can align their strategies and coordinate their military efforts toward a common goal, Bo Let Ya believes the military dictatorship could be dismantled much sooner.
“Our shared objective must be to uproot the military junta,” he said.
This article summarizes insights shared by Bo Let Ya, Battalion Commander of Shwebo District Battalion 9706 (Daung Ni Battalion), during the panel discussion “Achieving Victory Through Alliances: Challenges and Opportunities,” organized by People’s Goal and People’s Spring.