MNDAA blocks transport of goods to TNLA-controlled areas

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) has begun blocking shipments of goods to four towns in northern Shan State under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), according to local sources. The blockade began Sunday and affects the towns of Kutkai, Namtu, Namhsan, and Mantong, which can only be reached from central Myanmar through Lashio. Both the MNDAA and Myanmar’s military maintain checkpoints in Lashio Township. “Not even a single crate of bottled drinking water is allowed to be carried. All the trucks loaded with goods heading up to Kutkai were ordered to turn back,” said a man living in Hsenwi, an MNDAA-controlled town on the highway from Lashio to Kutkai. According to some traders, trucks carrying melons from Kutkai to China via Hsenwi have also been prevented from reaching the border. “Not even the musk melon trucks are allowed to go up [to the border]. They won’t allow anyone with even a small amount of goods to pass. Only small cars can go through,” said one trader. Locals said that the MNDAA began sending reinforcement troops to Manpying, a village about 10 miles from Kutkai, on Sunday evening and temporarily prohibited even passenger cars from passing through the area. There are growing concerns the two sides could soon clash as they both build up their military strength around the foot of Loi Sam Sip mountain at the exit of Kutkai. Vehicles bound for Namtu, Namhsan, and Mantong are now subject to inspection in Einaing, a village about 10 miles from Lashio, local residents told Myanmar Now. “Every car carrying goods is inspected at the football field inside the village. Absolutely nothing can get through, not even rice or cooking oil,” said a woman living in Namtu. During Operation 1027, an anti-regime offensive launched in October 2023, the TNLA seized Kutkai and jointly administered it with the MNDAA. However, strained relations between the two groups came to a head last month with the TNLA forcibly closing the Kokang army’s office in the town. In response, MNDAA forces took over several TNLA-controlled villages in Kutkai Township, arresting members of the group and confiscating their weapons. According to residents of Kutkai, the blockade on goods coming into the town has yet to have a major impact, as some products can still be accessed from towns further north, near the Chinese border. “Petrol is still available from Namkham, so it’s manageable. However, since rice and other food items are no longer coming up from the south, people are selling what they have sparingly. If the blockade lasts long term, it won’t be easy for the townspeople,” said one resident. Leaders of the TNLA have sought to defuse the situation through negotiations with their MNDAA counterparts and by instructing their troops to avoid confrontations with Kokang army forces, according to TNLA spokesperson Lway Yay Oo. “Currently, there are efforts to meet with the Kokang army. So far, we haven’t been able to meet. On the ground, instructions have been given to maintain and manage these situations,” he said. The MNDAA has not released any statement regarding its recent stand-off with the TNLA.

MNDAA blocks transport of goods to TNLA-controlled areas

The move is the latest escalation of tensions between the two allies, which have been rising since last month

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