On Thursday morning, the ethnic Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and allied opposition groups claimed to have taken over the junta military’s North Eastern Command headquarters in Lashio, the capital of northern Shan State.
It is the first military regional command headquarters seized by anti-government troops, marking a significant milestone in Myanmar’s campaign against the dictatorship since it took power in a coup in early 2021.
The MNDAA said it had taken the strategic city of Lashio in northern Shan State, about 120 km (75 miles) from the Chinese border, after 23 days of intense fighting with military junta troops.
In a statement released social media the MNDAA said our army has won a decisive victory and is now clearing out the remaining enemy troops. The city is now declared completely liberated.
The MNDAA is among several ethnic minority rebel groups fighting to repel the military from what they consider their territories, in a loose alliance with an armed resistance movement that has waged a nationwide campaign to undermine the junta’s rule.
The Myanmar conflict has morphed into a civil war more than 2.6 million people are displaced, according to the United Nations.
The military Junta, which seized back power in 2021 after a decade of tentative democracy, has been stretched by fighting on multiple fronts across the country of 53 million people, hampering its ability to govern and manage a crippled economy.
The junta has described its opponents as “terrorists” seeking to destabilise the country.
The MNDAA launched its latest offensive after the recent collapse of a ceasefire brokered by China, which has been concerned about fighting at its border and its impact on trade.
According to Reuters, China’s foreign ministry urged all sides to cease hostilities, enter into dialogue and ensure Chinese businesses and nationals were unharmed on Thursday.
Online news outlet Irrawaddy quoted the commander of another armed group fighting alongside the MNDAA as confirming the capture of the regional command headquarters at Lashio.
According to an analysis earlier this year by the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, the junta has no effective control of Myanmar, having lost authority over townships covering 86% of the country and two-thirds of the population.
