On Friday, November 3, the Burmese junta announced its intention to retaliate against a recent attack on army camps by ethnic groups in the north of the country, near the border with China.
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The head of the military junta in Myanmar promised “counteroffensives” following a coordinated attack by ethnic armed groups that took control of towns and roads near the Chinese border, according to a statement cited by a state newspaper on Friday, November 3.
“The government will launch counteroffensives,” Min Aung Hlaing declared in a speech to military government officials in the capital, Naypyidaw, on Thursday. The general, quoted by the ‘Global New Light of Myanmar’ newspaper, stated that the army would respond to this week’s attack on military camps by armed ethnic groups in the north of the country.
The junta is waging fighting of an intensity not seen since the 2021 coup in northern Shan State, a remote but strategic region bordering China’s Yunnan province.
On Thursday, an alliance of three ethnic groups that have long opposed the military claimed control of dozens of military positions, four cities and roads leading to China, Myanmar’s main trading partner.
This union, formed by the Taaung National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance (MNDAA), is capable of mobilizing at least 15,000 men, according to analysts.
Min Aung Hlaing also accused the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), another ethnic group operating in neighboring Kachin state, of attacking “transport infrastructure” and military camps. The head of the junta warned of possible retaliation against them.
China is worried
The fighting worries China, which on Thursday called for an “immediate” ceasefire after the junta confirmed the loss of a border town, Chinshwehaw. Shan State is home to a multibillion-dollar high-speed rail project as part of Beijing’s New Silk Roads policy.
More than a dozen armed ethnic groups operate in the border regions of Myanmar, fighting for political autonomy and control of natural resources. Some of these groups have trained and equipped armed groups of political opponents that spread across the country following the 2021 coup and subsequent military repression.
Poor access to the media in a region dominated by the jungle makes it difficult to verify the number of victims. The United Nations said on Monday that the fighting had displaced more than 6,000 people in the region.
With AFP
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