The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) is pressuring allied resistance groups to withdraw from Mogoke and Mongmit townships to make way for junta troops under a China-mediated agreement, local resistance sources told The Irrawaddy.
Sources said TNLA commanders are forcing People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) and allied units to vacate key strategic hills surrounding Mogoke, a ruby mining hub in Mandalay Region. The TNLA has reportedly reinforced its own positions as it prepares to return the territory at the end of this week.
“We’ve learned that the TNLA will escort regime forces to strategic hilltops. When we tried to take positions on the hills, the TNLA forced us out,” a Mogoke resistance fighter said.
Mogoke city sits in a valley surrounded by hills that are crucial to its defense.
“It seems we will have to withdraw not only from the town but also from positions that we occupied even before Operation 1027,” the fighter added.
TNLA-led forces seized Mogoke in July last year during the second phase of Operation 1027. The battle was notable for the presence of resistance groups from the Bamar heartland.
Resistance sources said the junta is expected to reenter Mogoke and Mongmit, just across the border in northern Shan State, on November 30 and December 1, in what the TNLA has assured allied groups will be a peaceful handover.
Residents said approximately 800 junta soldiers have advanced to a junction about 24 km from Mogoke, while the TNLA has deployed additional troops along the route to provide “security” for their entry.
“It appears the TNLA has taken full responsibility for securing the junta’s advance,” another resistance source said. “If we refuse to withdraw, our relations with the TNLA will collapse.”
He added that the ethnic army has not provided civilians with clear information on the handover.
The TNLA has made similar demands in Mongmit, asking local resistance groups to leave the town.
“We still consider the TNLA as an ally, and we have no plan to disrupt its actions,” a resistance member said. “But we will continue to fight the military dictatorship.”
Resistance groups said the TNLA held two meetings in November to inform them of the planned handover, stressing that no shots were to be fired during the regime’s reentry. The TNLA has not issued a public statement on the handover and did not respond to requests for comment.
A military analyst said the regime is demanding the return of the entire townships after learning a lesson in Lashio, the northern Shan capital handed back to junta forces by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in April under Chinese pressure.
“When the regime retrieved Lashio, it only got the town. MNDAA troops are still active across the township, so junta troops are confined to the town and can do nothing. So, this time the regime is asking resistance forces to vacate the entire township,” he said.
The TNLA has relocated its administrative offices and staff from Mogoke and Mongmit, though some command and combat units remained as of Monday, according to residents.
Both townships are occupied by multiple resistance forces, including the Mogoke PDF, Mandalay PDF, Pyin Oo Lwin PDF, People’s Liberation Army (PLA), All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Local sources confirmed these groups remain active in the area despite the TNLA’s withdrawal orders.
