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During the evening last month, Iang Za Kim listened to blasts in a neighbouring village, followed by warplanes flying overhead. She hurried outside her home to see a smoke cloud from a distance.

"We were horrified. We thought the military's aircraft might attack us too. So we grabbed what we could – a bit of food and clothing and ran into the jungles surrounding our village."

She visibly shakes as she tells the events of what occurred on 26 November in her village, situated in Myanmar's western Chin area. She's among thousands of civilians who've evacuated their homes in recent weeks following the Myanmar army initiated a relentless assault of air strikes, coupled with a land assault in rebel-held areas nationwide.

Some from Chin state have characterized the junta's latest offensive as the most brutal it has launched in over three years. Many of the displaced have found shelter in other parts of the state. Iang is part of a group that entered into Mizoram in India. Currently sheltered in a rundown badminton court in Vaphai, the group's meager possessions they were able to carry are packed in polyethylene bags.

Ral Uk Thang has had to abandon his residence at the age of 80, living in temporary huts in forests for days, before finally reaching a secure location.

"We fear our own government. They are incredibly harsh. Their military has come into our and other villages in the past, they've detained individuals, mistreated them, and destroyed residences," he says.

It is difficult to converse with Burmese civilians openly. Myanmar's ruling junta prohibits unfettered entry in the country for international reporters. It assumed power in the country in a putsch in February 2021, soon after the last election.

Civilian Toll and Deliberate Strikes

In its most recent campaign, the junta recently targeted a medical facility in a western state. Rebel groups in Rakhine say at least 30 people were lost their lives and more than 70 hurt.

A human rights organization says that from September onward at least several educational institutions and several churches in Chin State have been targeted by military bombing, causing the death of 12 people comprising six children.

Reports indicate the destruction of a school in a village on 13 October. Two students lost their lives as they were in class. The bombs ripped 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 uprooted. Previously in 2021, shortly after the coup, their home was razed in an air strike. They rebuilt their lives in a new community. Now they're without a home once more.

"Words fail me to explain how agonizing and challenging it is and what a heart-wrenching call it was to make to leave. But we had to do it to preserve our lives," he says.

A Disputed Election

The National League for Democracy party, which won decisive victories in the two elections prior to the coup, will not be contesting as its key figures are imprisoned.

"We don't want the election. Because the military does not know how to govern our country. They only work for the gain of their senior officers. When the civilian leadership was in power, we experienced a taste of democracy. But now all we do is cry and shed tears," says Ral Uk Thang.

Another displaced woman believes the election will be manipulated. "If we participated for a party not allied with the military, I believe they will tamper with the results and claim we voted for them."

The poll will occur in rounds, with a result projected around the end of January. Rebel groups have labeled it a farce.

Resistance Frontline and Sacrifices

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

He points out the areas where the most intense fighting is continuing. "Battalions of hundreds of soldiers trying to advance into the northern part of Chin state from four directions," he says. "The troops are being aided by air strikes, artillery fire and by unmanned aerial vehicles."

Visits 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, numerous injured fighters were brought in overnight and had to undergo lengthy operations. Some of them have had to undergo surgeries.

Many of them were just schoolboys when the coup occurred in 2021. Recently come of age, they've abandoned their dreams to serve in the conflict against the junta.

"While opposing forces withdrew we ran forward and I stepped on a landmine. We were injured in the explosion. Then we were targeted by aircraft. The airstrikes make things very challenging for us," explains a combatant. "Although I am amputated, should I lose my life I'm happy to make the sacrifice so that coming generations have a better life."

The impact of the intensity of the recent campaign is visible in ward after ward at the hospital.

However, it's the support and grit of tens of thousands of young people who picked up arms that have helped the rebels make notable progress against a better-equipped rival.

People including 80-year-old the man hope that after the election, the junta will withdraw, and he will be able to go back home.

"But I don't think I will live to see democracy restored in Myanmar," he says. "I hope my children and grandchildren can experience it some day."