After the Tatmadaw carried out the attacks on a KIA camp in Waingmaw Township, with heavy weapons, a KIO official (Kachin Independence Organisation) spoke about escalating tensions between the Tatmadaw and the KIO and their armed wing the Kachin Independence Army (KIO/KIA)

In the post-election period whereas the relations between the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw in the post-election period has improved with a ceasefire now in place, their Northern alliance ally the KIA has been targeted by the Tatmadaw as a focus for military incursions into long standing territory under the control of the dissident armed force of the ethnic KIA.

On January 7th, the Tatmadaw fired heavy weapons at least 10 rounds at a frontline KIA 3rd Battalion near Warshaung village, east of Waingmaw Township, by the heavy weapons for at least 10 times. It is assumed that the attacks on the KIA’s frontline camp “Wa Shaga Bum” were carried out by the Khamaya-398 military column based in Nanzaw.

Colonel Naw Bu, Information Officer of the KIO said: “We only know the information on the Tatmadaw’s attacks with heavy weapons.”

Due to the sound of heavy weapons, locals doing farming near Nanzaw fled to a safer place for a while. Since November the KIA has urged the locals to do paddy harvesting in Nanzaw village as there is a KIA military column active there.

Though there has been no fighting between the Tatmadaw and the AA for over two months, the military tension between the KIA and the Tatmadaw may lead to fighting at any time.

The four-member northern alliance group is composed of the KIA, the TNLA, the MNDAA and the AA.