Kokang army to withdraw from Lashio in phases

Fighters of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) are set to complete an incremental withdrawal from northern Shan State’s largest city by June of this year per the terms of a new ceasefire with the Myanmar military, a source said. The MNDAA—commonly called the “Kokang army”—captured and occupied northern Shan State’s largest city last August in a major escalation of the anti-junta forces’ conflict with Myanmar’s military regime. According to a Chinese researcher familiar with negotiations that took place between the MNDAA and the Myanmar military in China’s Yunnan Province last month, the final phase of the scheduled withdrawal will occur before the end of June. The agreement reached during the negotiations, which were brokered by Chinese authorities, also includes commitments from both sides to suspend hostilities. The agreement also includes the reopening of border crossings that Chinese authorities previously shut down, blocking the flow of food, fuel, medicine and other essential goods into MNDAA-held territories. The Myanmar military has also halted aerial bombardment of Lashio and other areas that have been under the Kokang Army’s control since the August offensive. The Kokang people who make up most of the MNDAA’s membership are a Mandarin-speaking, ethnically Chinese community that have lived in northern Shan State for centuries. While attending a Lunar New Year event organised by the MNDAA in Lashio on January 29, a Chinese government official addressed the local community in Mandarin, confirming the details of the ceasefire agreement and the plan for the Kokang forces’ withdrawal. In a video recording of the official’s remarks posted on social media, the official explained the timeline of withdrawal, noted that a ban on military recruitment would remain in force in Lashio until June 2025, and offered assurances that displaced residents of Lashio could return to their homes safely. The leaders of the MNDAA have reportedly informed other ethnic armed groups in Myanmar—including sometime allies in the fight against the military—but have not publicly announced its terms. A senior Kokang army member confirmed to Myanmar Now that the Chinese government official’s statements at the New Year ceremony were in line with the ceasefire agreement’s terms, but did not provide further details. Caption: MNDAA fighters and their commanders at a gathering in Lashio on January 29, 2025 (The Kokang) Pressure from China China has played a pivotal role in facilitating ceasefire negotiations and pressuring the Kokang forces to withdraw from Lashio. Beijing views the Kokang occupation of the city as an unsustainable condition that could undermine the stability of the Myanmar military junta’s authority and control. In addition to blocking the movement of critical supplies through border gates in Laukkai and in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone, China also exerted pressure on the United Wa State Army (UWSA)—Myanmar’s largest and best-equipped ethnic armed organisation—to block goods from reaching Kokang-held areas by other routes. A gathering of Kokang troops and their commanders in the city of Lashio on January 29, 2025 (The Kokang) Beijing’s involvement in the politics of northern Shan State was also evident from the detention of Kokang commander Peng Daxun in October 2024. After placing Peng, the son of MNDAA founder Peng Kiasheng (Pheung Kya-shin), under house arrest, Chinese authorities barred him from attending the ceasefire negotiations in Yunnan Province earlier this year. Sources familiar with the negotiations have confirmed that the Kokang forces agreed to the terms of the ceasefire, including the scheduled withdrawal from Lashio, but it remains uncertain whether the involved parties will go through with the full implementation of the agreement.

Kokang army to withdraw from Lashio in phases

The terms of the Chinese-mediated ceasefire agreement also include the military’s cessation of airstrikes in areas controlled by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA)

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