A coalition of armed ethnic groups in Myanmar has accused the junta of frequently violating a ceasefire in the country’s north this month, resulting in civilian casualties. The groups allege that the junta is receiving support from China in these attacks. This development follows months of violence that led to the displacement of nearly half a million people near China’s southern border.
In January, Beijing mediated a truce between the junta and the so-called “Three Brotherhood Alliance”. The alliance comprises the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA). The ceasefire allowed them to retain control over large swathes of land they had captured in northern Shan state.
According to the alliance, on June 19, junta troops conducted an airstrike on TNLA-held territory near Mogok, a ruby and gem mining hub. “In this incident, one civilian was killed and 3 wounded including a 10-year-old child,” the TNLA said in a statement on June 19.
On June 18, junta troops launched a drone attack that killed one TNLA member and seriously injured four others, the TNLA reported. The group claims these attacks are the latest in a string of violations by the junta this month, which they say has included shelling TNLA positions, cutting roads, and restricting goods flow to TNLA-controlled towns. AFP was unable to reach a junta spokesperson for comment.
Last October, the alliance launched a surprise offensive across northern Myanmar, seizing several towns and lucrative border hubs crucial for trade with China. This dealt a significant blow to the cash-strapped and isolated junta. Border trade with China during April-May fell by almost a third compared to the same period last year, junta-controlled media reported last week.
Last month, China hosted follow-up peace talks between the military and the alliance in the city of Kunming. A source close to the MNDAA told AFP that no substantial progress was made, and the two sides would meet again in the future.
Myanmar’s borderlands are home to numerous ethnic armed groups, many of whom have fought the military since independence from Britain in 1948 over autonomy and control of lucrative resources. While fighting in Shan state has calmed, the AA has launched its own offensive in western Rakhine state, claiming to fight for greater autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine population. Its fighters have seized territory along the border with India and Bangladesh, further pressuring the junta as it battles opponents across the Southeast Asian country.
