 "Myanmar's borderlands are home to a plethora of ethnic armed groups, many of whom have battled the military since independence from Britain in 1948 over autonomy and control of lucrative resources Image Courtesy AFP")
A coalition of armed ethnic groups in Myanmar has said that the junta has been frequently breaching a ceasefire in the country’s north this month, resulting in civilian casualties, with the help of China.
Following months of violence that resulted in the displacement of almost half a million people close to China’s southern border, Beijing mediated a truce between the junta and the so-called “Three Brotherhood Alliance” in January.
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA) were the members of the alliance, and the ceasefire permitted them to keep large areas of land they had taken in northern Shan state.
According to the group, on June 19, Junta troops conducted an airstrike on TNLA-held terrain close to Mogok, a hub for ruby and gem mining.
“In this incident, one civilian was killed and 3 wounded including a 10-year-old child,” the TNLA said in a statement posted to the alliance’s Telegram channel on June 19.
On June 18 junta troops had launched a drone attack that had killed one TNLA member and seriously wounded four others, the TNLA added.
It said the attacks were the latest violation this month by the junta, which it said had shelled TNLA positions and cut roads and restricted the flow of goods to TNLA-controlled towns.
AFP was unable to reach a junta spokesman for comment.
In October last year, the alliance launched a surprise offensive across northern Myanmar, seizing several towns and lucrative border hubs that are vital for trade with China, dealing a blow to the cash-strapped and isolated junta.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsBorder trade with China during April-May was down 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 had been made, and the two sides would meet again in the future.
Myanmar’s borderlands are home to a plethora of ethnic armed groups, many of whom have battled 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, where it says it is fighting for more autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine population.
Its fighters have seized territory along the border with India and Bangladesh, piling further pressure on the junta as it battles opponents elsewhere across the Southeast Asian country.