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In the dead of night last month, a woman heard detonations in a neighbouring village, then warplanes soaring above. She ran out her home to see plumes of smoke from a distance.

"We were terrified. We feared the junta's planes could strike us too. So we grabbed what we could – some food and clothes and ran into the woodlands surrounding our village."

Iang's face quivers as she tells the story of what happened on 26 November in her village, found in Myanmar's western Chin area. She is one of countless residents who've fled their homes in the past few weeks following the national armed forces initiated a relentless assault of aerial attacks, and a ground offensive in insurgent-controlled zones across the country.

Some from Chin state have described the military's recent operation as the most brutal it has conducted in more than three years. Many of the displaced have sought refuge in different areas of the state. Iang is among a group that made the border crossing into India's Mizoram state. Now housed in a decrepit badminton court in Vaphai village, the group's limited items they were able to carry are stored in polyethylene bags.

An elderly man has had to escape his village at the age of 80, living in temporary huts in forests for days, until at last reaching a secure location.

"We're afraid of our own government. They are exceptionally brutal. Their military has invaded our and other villages in the past, they've arrested people, mistreated them, and burned down homes," he says.

It is difficult to interview Burmese civilians without restriction. Myanmar's military government does not allow free access in the country for foreign journalists. It seized control of the country in a military takeover in February 2021, soon after the last election.

Humanitarian Toll and Deliberate Strikes

In its most recent campaign, the junta last week targeted a clinic in a western state. Resistance organizations in Rakhine claim at least 30 people were slain and more than 70 hurt.

A human rights organization reports that over recent months at least three schools and six churches in Chin State have been targeted by junta airstrikes, claiming the lives of 12 people among them six children.

Reports indicate the destruction of a school in a community on 13 October. Two students perished as they were attending lessons. The bombs tore through their classrooms harming more than a dozen other students.

For a second time, a father and his young family – a wife and two young children - have been displaced. Previously in 2021, shortly after the coup, their home was destroyed by fire in an air strike. They reconstructed their existence in another village. Now they're homeless again.

"Words fail me to explain how agonizing and challenging it is and what a difficult decision it was to make to leave. But we had to do it to survive," he says.

A Disputed Electoral Process

A prominent political group, which won landslides in the two elections before the coup, is not participating as the majority of its leadership are imprisoned.

"This vote is unwanted. Because the military lacks the ability to govern our country. They only work for the benefit of their senior officers. When the previous government was in power, we experienced a bit of democracy. But now all we do is grieve and lament," says Ral Uk Thang.

Another displaced woman believes the election will be manipulated. "Should we cast a ballot for a party opposed to the military, I believe they will tamper with the results and claim we voted for them."

The vote will take place in rounds, with a result projected around the end of January. Rebel groups have labeled it a sham.

Resistance Battleground and Losses

Within a compound of a prominent rebel group operating in the state, a vice chairman states: "This election is only being held to extend 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 drone units."

Visits to such bases is highly unusual. Set amid dense jungle highlands, it is the core of the fight against the junta in Chin state.

Within a clinic 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 amputations.

Many of them were just schoolboys when the coup occurred in 2021. Now young adults, they've let go of 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 struck from above. The airstrikes make things very hard 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 intensity of the recent campaign is visible in room after room at the hospital.

Yet, it's the support and grit of tens of thousands of youngsters who took up weapons that have helped the rebels make significant gains against a much more powerful rival.

Individuals such as 80-year-old the man hope that post-poll, the junta will retreat, and he will be able to return home.

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