An armed group in Burma controls a border crossing with China

Published in: 26/11/2023 – 08:23

2 minutes

Shan State in northern Burma, near the border with China, has been witnessing clashes since an alliance of three armed ethnic groups launched an attack against the army last October.

These groups took control of dozens of military sites and a town pivotal for trade with China, obstructing exchange routes with the Asian giant and depriving the military junta of important financial resources.

An attack by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, one of the three ethnic groups, led to its control of the Kyin San Kyaut port, according to a media outlet linked to it.

The Kokang News website reported on Sunday that the group “reported its control of an additional border trade gateway known as Kien San Kyaut in the Mongko District this morning,” noting that the alliance of the three groups took control of other sites in the border trade area during the attack that began Friday.

A security source confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the “Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army” raised its flag at the port.

This border port was reopened in 2022 in the wake of the pandemic, and it is considered an essential stop for trade on the border between China and Burma.

Earlier this week, the official media quoted the spokesman for the ruling military junta in Burma as saying that the fire destroyed about 120 trucks parked near the border crossing, holding the armed groups responsible.

The clashes had a negative impact on the Burmese economy, which was already suffering from difficulties, negatively affected cross-border trade and deprived the military junta of tax revenues and hard currency. According to local reports, commercial movement through the Kien San Kyaut port included machinery, electrical equipment, agricultural tractors, and consumer materials.

© 2023 AFP