Ethnic minority fighters opposed to Burma's ruling junta said on Saturday they had captured the town of Namhsan in the country's north, two days after China announced a ceasefire brokered by it.
Published on: 12/16/2023 – 11:17 am Modified on: 12/16/2023 – 11:48 am
2 minutes
Despite the ceasefire reached through Chinese mediation, fighting breaks out near the Sino-Burmese border. At the end of October, the Arakan Army (AA), the Burma National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) launched a joint offensive against the military powerhouse.
The alliance's takeover of military positions and border points crucial to trade with China represents the biggest military challenge to the junta since it seized power in 2021 and toppled the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu, analysts said Kyi.
On December 14, Beijing announced a ceasefire between the tripartite alliance and the Myanmar military.
The next day, the TNLA announced the capture of Namhsan after launching an attack in the region more than two weeks ago. For his part, a Burmese army spokesman, Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, told state television MRTV on Friday that fighting for Namhsan was ongoing.
According to TNLA's Tar Bhone Kyaw, the Myanmar military has also lost a key trade corridor at 105-Mile Point in Muse, Shan State on the border with China.
“The bombings also affected civilians”
The fighting also caused great damage further south, in Loikow, near the Thai border, reports our special correspondent Constantin Simon. The Karen rebels, who launched their offensive on November 11, are facing the Burmese army in this town, just 120 km from the capital.
“The bombings affect not only the rebels, but also the civilian population,” explains Constantin Simon, a witness to the destruction caused by the daily bombings by Burmese army planes. The ruling junta no longer hesitates to target not only insurgents but also villages, homes, hospitals and schools.
In total, the alliance of three ethnic groups claims to have captured 422 bases and seven cities from the Burmese army since October 27.
Also read “A real blow to the junta”: An unprecedented resistance offensive in Burma
Their offensive mobilized other opponents of the junta and clashes also broke out in the east and west of the country. According to the United Nations, more than half a million people were forced to leave their homes.
With AFP