On February 14th, Karenni Army (KA) intercepted and attacked the Military Council troops transporting ammunition from Hwayha in southern Shan State to military camps near the border with Karenni State, Karenni Interior Minister Khu Nye Reh said.

“They had built their paths in advance before the end of the rainy season. Food, weapons an ammunition were transported through these routes. This is what they used to do. Now, in Shan State, they plan to send ammunition through the territory of SSS (Southern Shan State), which has agreed to a ceasefire since 1994. We knew their plan, so we ambushed them”, he said.

Five Military Council soldiers were killed in an hour-long battle on the border of Shan and Karenni States, according to Khu Nye Reh.

A military convoy of about 200 personnel and 13 vehicles arrived at the SSS base in Hwayha in the first week of February.

SSS, a Shan ethnic armed organization, was transformed into a militia after a ceasefire in 1994. Because the Military Council can no longer send ammunition to the Loikaw-Shadaw border, it is possible that they decided to pass through SSS territory, Khu Nye Reh commented.

“It is quite inconvenient for them to deliver ammunition in the Karenni area. The paths from Shadaw and Bawlakhe are no longer safe for them to use. But on the Hwayha side, they can travel smoothly. We already knew they would use that route”, he said.

Khu Nye Reh also said that Karenni resistance forces will continue to intercept and prevent the Military Council from transporting weapons to their border camps.

Since the coup, fierce clashes have broken out across Karenni state, with resistance forces often ambushing the Military Council convoys carrying food and ammunition.