The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) fought again on the morning of 19 January as both sides accused each other of trespassing on their territory.
Fighting between the two armed groups first broke out last year on 27 November, just over one month after the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on 15 October between the government and eight of the country’s more than 20 ethnic armed organisations (EAOs).
The RCSS/SSA-S signed the NCA but the government excluded the TNLA from the NCA and did not allow them to sign it.
Sai Hseng Murng, a spokesperson for RCSS/SSA-S said: “There was another episode of fighting which occurred this morning [and] the fighting has not stopped until now."
He claimed that the TNLA troops had attacked the RCSS/SSA-S and were advancing further into RCSS/SSA-S controlled areas every day.
The TNLA Information Department posted on their Facebook page on 18 January that fighting had broken out between TNLA Battalion No. 256 and RCSS/SSA-S troops, but claimed that it was because the RCSS/SSA-S troops had trespassed into TNLA controlled territory.
On social media the TNLA said: “The RCSS troops entered our area, that’s why the fighting happened.”
According to a Mizzima report on 19 January Mai Aik Kyaw, a spokesperson for the TNLA, said that the RCSS/SSA-S was not previously operating in the disputed area, but had arrived in the middle of November and was now fighting alongside Burma Army troops. He described the atmosphere as “tense” and predicted there could be future clashes.
The RCSS/SSA-S claimed that three TNLA soldiers had been killed in the recent clashes. No further details were available about the casualties.
On 18 January there were also two clashes between the groups in northern Shan State, at Koong Hawd Village, Hsipaw Township and at Tawsang Village, Kyaukme Township.
Sai Hseng Murng told SHAN that the RCSS/SSA-S had sent letters to the TNLA several times requesting a meeting to discuss the conflict.
He said: “A few days ago, we sent them a letter again, but we never received a response from them about the talks.”
“We [ethnic groups] don’t want to have problem among each other,” he added.
On 16 December SHAN reported that the RCSS/SSA-S held a meeting with the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), a coalition of ethnic armed groups of which the TNLA is a member, to discuss the clashes between the RCSS/SSA-S and the TNLA.
By SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N)
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
