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In the dead of night last month, a resident heard detonations in a nearby village, and subsequently military aircraft circling the area. She dashed from her home to see plumes of smoke far away.

"We were horrified. We thought the regime's jets would bomb us too. So we grabbed what we could – provisions and garments and escaped to the jungles encircling our village."

Iang's face quivers as she recounts the account of what happened on 26 November in her community, found in Myanmar's western Chin region. She is one of countless residents who've abandoned their homes in recent weeks following the Myanmar army initiated a intensive operation of bombing runs, and a ground offensive in insurgent-controlled zones nationwide.

People in Chin state have labeled the junta's latest offensive as the most intense it has launched in more than three years. Countless refugees have found shelter in other parts of the state. Iang is among a group that made the border crossing into India's Mizoram state. Currently sheltered in a decrepit badminton court in a village, the group's meager possessions they were able to carry are packed in polyethylene bags.

An elderly man has had to abandon his residence at the age of 80, living in temporary huts in the wilderness for days, prior to eventually finding refuge.

"We are terrified of our own government. They are incredibly harsh. Their military has entered our and other villages in the past, they've arrested people, tortured them, and set houses ablaze," he says.

It isn't easy to interview Burmese civilians without restriction. Myanmar's regime prohibits open movement in the country for overseas correspondents. It seized control of the country in a coup in February 2021, soon after the last election.

Civilian Cost and Targeted Attacks

As part of the newest operation, the junta recently targeted a clinic in Rakhine. Rebel groups in Rakhine report at least 30 people were lost their lives and more than 70 hurt.

An advocacy group states that over recent months at least three schools and six churches in Chin State have been hit by military bombing, claiming the lives of 12 people including six children.

Verification shows the shelling of a school in a community on 13 October. Two students lost their lives as they were in class. The bombs tore through their classrooms injuring more than a dozen other students.

This is the second time, a father and his young family – a wife and two young children - have been displaced. Previously in 2021, soon after the coup, their home was razed in an air strike. They rebuilt their lives in a new community. Now they're displaced a second time.

"It's hard to express to explain how difficult and traumatic it is and what a tough choice it was to make to leave. But we had to do it to stay alive," he says.

A Disputed Electoral Process

The National League for Democracy party, which won decisive victories in the two elections preceding the coup, is not participating as its key figures are in jail.

"We reject this election. Because the military is incapable of govern our country. They only work for the gain of their top officials. When the civilian leadership was in power, we experienced a measure of democracy. But now all we do is weep and mourn," says Ral Uk Thang.

Iang Za Kim believes the election will be fixed. "If we participated for a party opposed to the military, I believe they will tamper with the results and claim we voted for them."

The vote will be held in stages, with a result expected around the end of January. Rebel groups have declared it a farce.

Insurgent Battleground and Losses

At a base of a leading insurgent force operating in the state, a leader states: "This election is only being held to perpetuate military dictatorship. It's not about the public's voice."

He points out the areas where the heaviest clashes is taking place. "Battalions of hundreds of soldiers trying to enter the northern part of Chin state from several axes," he says. "The soldiers are being supported by air strikes, artillery fire and by drone units."

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

In a hospital at the base, a group of injured fighters had arrived overnight and had to undergo hours of surgery. Some of them have had to undergo limb removals.

Several were just teenagers when the coup occurred in 2021. Now young adults, they've abandoned 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 difficult for us," explains a combatant. "Despite my injury, 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 brutality of the ongoing operation is apparent in every corner at the hospital.

Yet, it's the backing and courage of tens of thousands of youngsters who joined the fight that have helped the rebels make significant gains against a much more powerful rival.

People including 80-year-old Ral Uk Thang hope that following the vote, the junta will withdraw, and he will be able to repatriate.

"Yet I believe I will live to see democracy restored in Myanmar," he says. "I pray my children and grandchildren can experience it some day."