Fresh fighting broke out between regime troops and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) on Tuesday near Lashio in northern Shan State, where the military’s Northeastern Command is based, according to residents.
Tuesday’s clash was the first military confrontation since mid-January when the regime and the Brotherhood Alliance – a military alliance of the MNDAA, Ta’ang National Liberation Army and Arakan Army – agreed to a ceasefire in northern Shan following talks brokered by China.
Junta troops and the MNDAA clashed for nearly 45 minutes in a rural area some 16 kilometers southeast of Lashio on Tuesday morning, according to reports.
The clash broke out after troops from Infantry Battalion 55 deployed in Kone Nyaung village on the outskirts of Lashio Town advanced into MNDAA territory, according to a villager.
The battalion shelled the battle scene near Mong Yaw three times after the clash, he said.
The MNDAA and Brigade 611, a multi-ethnic resistance group trained and armed by the MNDAA, have been active in the area since mid-2023, according to residents.
Neither side revealed casualties in the fighting on Tuesday. The Irrawaddy was unable to obtain comment from the MNDAA spokesman at press time.
There was however no fighting on Wednesday, said a Lashio resident, who claimed that Tuesday’s clash was triggered by a junta offensive.
Northeastern Command HQ is based in downtown Lashio, which is surrounded by at least five junta battalions including artillery units. Junta-allied militias are also guarding the town.
The regime is planning military operations to recapture towns seized by the Brotherhood Alliance in northern Shan State, according to reports circulating online.
Junta officials and rank-and-file members who surrendered to the Brotherhood Alliance during the latter’s attack on Laukkai and Kutkai are on the front line in Lashio, preparing for a defensive war.
Any side that violates the China-brokered ceasefire would face considerable pressure from Beijing, said military analysts.
