After footage of a supervised fistfight between members of two ethnic armed groups circulated on social media on Monday, one of the groups’ spokespersons said a disagreement had arisen over territory in northern Shan State.
The video appeared to show members of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) involved in hand-to-hand fighting, surrounded by onlookers.
The TNLA is a predominantly Palaung group and member of the Brotherhood Alliance that captured territory from the Myanmar military regime in northern Shan State and Mandalay Region during the Operation 1027 campaign launched in 2023, while the KIA has been waging a long-term offensive against the regime since March.
A disagreement over territorial demarcation reportedly arose on Sunday in an area of northern Shan State where the Myanmar military has been forced out after TNLA members allegedly forced their way through a KIA checkpoint in or near the town of Nam Hpat Kar, Kutkai Township.
Based on the clip posted on social media, members of both groups were carrying weapons on their backs at the scene but had seemingly decided against using them.
The footage nonetheless showed a tense scene, with fighters from both sides pushing and speaking in raised voices to each other while removing security barriers that had been set up.
As the clip continues, KIA and TNLA armed personnel begin to engage in a fistfight before ultimately shaking hands and embracing each other.
On the same day, local sources said TNLA members aggravated tensions between the groups by ordering KIA members to withdraw from two checkpoint outposts in Namkham Township’s Mong Wee village, which the KIA claims as part of its Brigade 4 territory.
Other disputes over demarcation claims are ongoing in Manton Township and in Nam Aum village, Muse Township, according to local sources.
KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu said on Tuesday that the tensions were due to the TNLA forces’ restrictions on the movements of KIA fighters.
“Our frontline comrades’ tempers flared, so there has been some friction. Yesterday it happened in three or four places and I heard it’s happening today too,” Col. Naw Bu told Myanmar Now. “We’ve called for these issues to be resolved through mutual negotiation.”
“Rather than resolving things through physical altercations with each other like this,” he added, “we’ve said we should handle it by talking.”
Col. Naw Bu also said commanders based in both armed groups’ respective territories were planning to meet, but he did not yet know details about the timing or status of the discussions.
The TNLA has yet to issue any public statements regarding these incidents, and Myanmar Now is still attempting to reach TNLA spokesperson Lway Yay Oo for comment.
In remarks given during a ceremony marking Ta’ang National Revolution Day on January 12, the chair of the TNLA and Palaung State Liberation Front, General Tar Aik Bong, promised that the Palaung organisations would resolve ongoing regional problems by the best available methods.
A veteran politician and local resident of Namkham Township told Myanmar Now that he believed there would be an easy solution to the current tensions in the Mong Wee area as long as both sides’ forces tried to establish mutual understanding.
“Most people on both sides are young, so sometimes things get out of hand. But the leaders can negotiate, seek a resolution, and find ways to prevent both sides from making such errors in the future,” he said.
“The groups have both already said that after the revolution, they will be in a position to negotiate and work things out, but for now it’s more important to fight the common enemy than oppose each other,” he added.
The TNLA captured 13 towns in Mandalay Region and northern Shan State, including Kutkai and Namkham, during its participation in the Operation 1027 against the Myanmar military as a member of the Brotherhood Alliance.
However, the KIA controls certain areas within these townships, including the village of Nam Hpat Kar.
Despite pressure from the Chinese government, both the TNLA and KIA are still fighting the junta in some areas. The TNLA has been engaged in clashes with military forces in northern Shan State’s Nawnghkio Township, while the KIA is waging an ongoing offensive to capture the town of Bhamo, Kachin State.
As it has throughout the country, the junta is relying on its advantage in air power to regain lost ground or push back advances by these and other anti-junta ethnic armed groups. Junta airstrikes have taken a heavy toll on civilians, most recently killing four and injuring many others in the town of Kyaukme, northern Shan State.
During the Operation 1027 offensive, Myanmar’s military regime lost control of all townships in northern Shan State except Tangyan, Monyai, and Muse, a trade hub on the Chinese border.
Since the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA)—a Brotherhood Alliance member along with the TNLA—agreed to a ceasefire with the junta under pressure from China, the military has concentrated its attacks on areas held by other ethnic armed groups.
