The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a Kokang ethnic armed group, refused the junta’s demand to withdraw from positions near Lashio City in northern Shan State, raising tensions between the two sides.
In addition, road blockades enforced by both sides have also disrupted trade between China and Myanmar.
The junta and MNDAA, once locked in fierce conflict, reached a China-brokered ceasefire earlier this year, but tensions have flared again in less than a year.
“The junta demanded the MNDAA to pull their troops from the road between Lashio City and Thibaw (Hsipaw) Town, which the junta controls, but the MNDAA refused. This sparked rising tensions. Talks were held, but they couldn’t reach an agreement, and the situation kept getting worse,” said a source familiar with the military situation in northern Shan State.
During a meeting on November 11, the junta demanded the MNDAA withdraw, but the Kokang group rejected the demand, sparking tensions. Afterward, both sides started enforcing blockades on sections of the Thibaw-Lashio Road.
The blockades on the Thibaw-Lashio Road, a crucial part of the Union Highway connecting Mandalay in central Myanmar to Muse in northern Shan State on the Chinese border, have become a major challenge for cargo trucks involved in China-Myanmar trade.
Although there have been no clashes in Lashio so far, locals reported a noticeable sense of tension.
On the night of November 24, Lashio residents reported hearing about 20 gunshots from a junta base in one of the city’s wards, raising concern among locals.
“Around 9:00 pm, we heard a series of gunshots. It was clearly one-sided, definitely not a fight. But people are worried because no one knows exactly why the shots were fired,” said a Lashio resident.
MNDAA troops outside Lashio City continue to operate as usual. Despite pressure from the junta to withdraw, the MNDAA has maintained regular administrative operations in its controlled areas, locals reported.
The Chinese-brokered ceasefire required the MNDAA to withdraw from Lashio City, but it still controls large parts of Lashio Township and most rural areas outside the city. Now, tensions over the junta’s demand for the MNDAA to pull back threaten to undermine the ceasefire, and locals said they are keeping a close watch on both military movements and trade in northern Shan State.
