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.
Fighting has raged near the China-Burma border since the Arakan Army (AA), the National Democratic Alliance Army of Burma (MNDAA) and the National Liberation Army were attacked in late October. of Ta'ang (TNLA) launched a joint offensive against the central military power.
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 Thursday, Beijing announced a ceasefire between the three-way alliance and the Burmese army.
The TNLA announced the capture of Namhsan on Friday after launching an attack in the region more than two weeks ago.
“We have taken the city,” Brigadier General Tar Bhone Kyaw told AFP, and the TNLA posted video footage on Facebook showing the group's leaders visiting the city and speaking to captured junta soldiers.
For his part, a Burmese army spokesman, Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, told state television MRTV on Friday that fighting for Namhsan was ongoing.
The Myanmar military has also lost a key trade corridor at 105-Mile Point in Muse, Shan State on the border with China, according to TNLA Brigadier General Tar Bhone Kyaw.
In total, the alliance of three ethnic groups claims to have captured 422 bases and seven cities from the Burmese army since October 27.
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.