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During the evening last month, a resident was startled by explosions in a nearby village, followed by fighter jets circling the area. She hurried outside her home to see smoke rising far away.

"We were petrified. We believed the regime's jets might attack us too. So we took what we could carry – provisions and garments and ran into the forests around our village."

Her face trembles as she tells the events of what happened on 26 November in K-Haimual, located in Myanmar's western Chin region. She is one of countless residents who've fled their homes in the past few weeks following the Burmese military began a fierce campaign of air strikes, coupled with a land assault in rebel-held areas across the country.

Some from Chin state have described the military's recent operation as the fiercest it has launched in over three years. Countless refugees have found shelter in other parts of the state. Iang is part of a group that crossed the border into India's Mizoram state. At present residing in a decrepit badminton court in a village, the group's meager possessions they were able to carry are stored in plastic sacks.

Ral Uk Thang has had to abandon his residence at the age of 80, staying in improvised dwellings in forests for days, until at last finding refuge.

"We are terrified of our own government. They are exceptionally brutal. Their military has come into our and other villages in the past, they've taken citizens, tortured them, and burned down homes," he says.

It is challenging to speak to Burmese civilians without restriction. Myanmar's ruling junta restricts open movement in the country for foreign journalists. It took over the country in a putsch in February 2021, not long after the last election.

Civilian Toll and Targeted Strikes

In its most recent campaign, the junta in the past week targeted a medical facility in Rakhine State. Rebel groups in Rakhine claim at least 30 people were slain and more than 70 hurt.

A monitoring body states that over recent months at least several educational institutions and a number of places of worship in Chin State have been targeted by junta airstrikes, causing the death of 12 people comprising six children.

Reports indicate the destruction of a school in Vanha village on 13 October. Two students lost their lives as they were attending lessons. The bombs devastated their classrooms harming more than a dozen other students.

Once again, a man and his young family – a wife and two young children - have been displaced. In 2021, soon after the coup, their home was destroyed by fire in an air strike. They reconstructed their existence in K-Haimual village. Now they're homeless again.

"I can't find the words to explain how painful and hard it is and what a heart-wrenching call it was to make to leave. But we had to do it to stay alive," he says.

A Disputed Vote

A prominent political group, which won overwhelming majorities in the two elections before the coup, will not be contesting as its key figures are detained.

"We don't want the election. Because the military is incapable of govern our country. They only work for the gain of their top officials. When the elected administration was in power, we experienced a taste of democracy. But now all we do is grieve and lament," says Ral Uk Thang.

Iang Za Kim believes the election will be manipulated. "Should we cast a ballot for a party independent from the military, I believe they will tamper with the results and claim we voted for them."

The election will be held in phases, with a result anticipated around the end of January. Resistance forces have called it a farce.

Insurgent Battleground and Losses

At a base of a prominent rebel group operating in the state, a vice chairman states: "This vote is only being held to prolong military dictatorship. It's not about the people's choice."

He points out the areas where the heaviest clashes is continuing. "Units of hundreds of soldiers trying to advance into the northern part of Chin state from multiple fronts," he says. "The soldiers are being aided by air strikes, artillery fire and by unmanned aerial vehicles."

Entry to such bases is extremely rare. Situated in wooded hills, it is the core of the resistance against the junta in Chin state.

At a medical facility at the base, a group of injured fighters were admitted overnight and had to undergo lengthy operations. Some of them have had to undergo surgeries.

A significant number were just teenagers when the coup occurred in 2021. Just about adults now, they've set aside their dreams to serve in the conflict against the junta.

"During the pullback we ran forward and I triggered a landmine. We were injured in the explosion. Then we were attacked from the air. The airstrikes make things very challenging for us," states a wounded rebel. "I've lost a leg, should I lose my life I'm happy to make the sacrifice so that those who follow have a brighter future."

The effect of the ferocity of the recent campaign is evident in ward after ward at the hospital.

However, it's the backing and courage of tens of thousands of youngsters who took up weapons that have helped the rebels make notable progress against a much more powerful rival.

Individuals such as 80-year-old the elderly refugee hope that post-poll, the junta will withdraw, and he will be able to go back home.

"However, I doubt I will live to see democracy reinstated in Myanmar," he says. "I wish my children and grandchildren can witness it some day."