Ethnic Armed Groups and National Army Clash in Shan State, Myanmar: Wa State Union Announces Neutrality

Weapons said to have been confiscated from the national army by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in northeastern Myanmar’s Shan State. Provided by MNDAA.

[Bangkok = Taiki Fujikawa]Continuing clashes between three ethnic armed groups and the national army in Shan State, northeastern Myanmar, which borders China, have been raised by the Wa State Union, Myanmar’s largest ethnic armed group, which controls the Wa Autonomous Region in the state. On the 2nd, two groups, including the UWSA, announced that they would remain neutral unless their territory was attacked.

The UWSA, which has about 30,000 militia members, said in a statement, “We have no intention of taking sides. However, if there is a violation of our airspace, we will shoot it down.” The UWSA has good relations with the three factions, and the three factions do not own fighter jets or helicopters, so this appears to be a check on the national army.

Fierce fighting continues in northern Shan State on October 27, when three factions, including the Ta’an National Liberation Army (TNLA), launched a large-scale attack on the national army called Operation 1027. The TNLA is collaborating with the pro-democracy armed group “People’s Defense Forces (PDF)” and is closing in on Pyin Oulwin in the central Mandalay region, where the military’s military academy and technical school are located, and the military is dispatching more troops to defend it. It is said that there is.


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2023-11-02 09:38:18