In Namhpatkar town in Kutkai Township, northern Shan State, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) has agreed not to interfere with the Kachin Independence Organization’s (KIO) administrative machinery.
Although Namhpatkar is controlled by the KIO, some Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) troops had been deployed there. The TNLA and MNDAA were once allies, but relations later soured, and all TNLA positions in the town are now under MNDAA control. Following this, the KIO held talks with the MNDAA to prevent further disputes in Namhpatkar.
“The Kokang armed group, the MNDAA, will keep a liaison office open in Namhpatkar. All former TNLA positions there have now been taken over by the MNDAA. There have also been meetings between the MNDAA and the KIO, during which the MNDAA recognized that Namhpatkar is under KIO administration, and both sides agreed not to interfere with each other,” said a source from town administration.
KIO and MNDAA officials met in early April to discuss coexistence in Namhpatkar and reached an agreement. Under the agreement, the MNDAA will maintain its liaison office in the town, while the KIO will retain primary responsibility for administrative affairs.
As some positions currently occupied by MNDAA troops are on land owned by locals, the KIO has also raised and discussed returning the land to its owners.
This year, the KIO-led, newly reformed Namhpatkar Administrative Committee—featuring participation from multiple ethnic groups—began operating. Under this committee, ward- and community-level administrative bodies have been established.
Currently, checkpoints operated by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the armed wing of the KIO, remain in place at the entrances and exits of Namhpatkar. However, these checkpoints have suspended inspections of trucks and passenger vehicles.
The KIO’s control of Namhpatkar, located between Kutkai and Muse towns, has now entered its second year. All positions previously held by the TNLA in the town have now been taken over by the MNDAA.
There haven’t been any major changes in the town, except that MNDAA troops have now taken over the former TNLA positions. The MNDAA has also reached an understanding with the KIO, recognizing its administrative role. KIA checkpoints are still in place at the entrances and exits of the town, but they no longer stop or inspect vehicles passing through,” a town resident told KNG.
The current situation indicates that the KIO and MNDAA have negotiated arrangements to peacefully coexist in Namhpatkar.
On April 19, the MNDAA informed the KIO to close a KIO-run office in Nartee Village, located between Theinni (Hsenwi) and Kunlong towns in northern Shan State, prompting discussions between the two sides.
In early 2024, the KIA captured Namhpatkar. Originally a village, the KIO later upgraded it to a town and established an administrative structure.
Previously, KIA, TNLA, and MNDAA troops were active in the town. By the third week of March, the MNDAA had driven out all TNLA forces, and the entire Lashio–Muse route subsequently came under MNDAA control.
