Thousands stranded on highway as renewed fighting intensifies in northern Shan State

An alliance of anti-regime ethnic armed groups captured a junta base near Lashio on Sunday, triggering retaliatory attacks that have sent thousands fleeing from northern Shan State’s largest city. Residents of Lashio said the military’s air and artillery attacks began soon after the Brotherhood Alliance seized control of the Infantry Battalion (IB) 507 base, located near the city’s Ward 5. “The junta’s fighter jets arrived right after the IB 507 base fell, and they kept attacking all through the night. It was very intense,” said one Lashio resident who spoke to Myanmar Now on Monday. However, the mass exodus that began early in the morning soon turned into a massive traffic jam, as fighting prevented thousands of vehicles from travelling south to Hsipaw. “We left home at six this morning, but we haven’t even made it to the outskirts yet. All we can do is wait, since fighting is breaking out on the road ahead,” said a local man, adding that two of his neighbours had been killed by artillery fire the night before. According to the man, traffic on the Lashio-Hsipaw highway was backed up all the way to Naung Mon, a village some 17 miles south of Lashio. Two members of the Brotherhood Alliance, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), resumed fighting in northern Shan State late last month after accusing the military of violating a Chinese-brokered ceasefire that had been in place since January. The groups, along with the third member of the alliance, the Arakan Army, launched Operation 1027, a highly successful anti-regime offensive, in October of last year, capturing scores of bases and dozens of towns in a matter of weeks. The capture of the IB 507 base puts the MNDAA and TNLA forces closer to the regime’s Northeastern Regional Military Command, which is headquartered in Lashio. It comes a day after the fall of the Light Infantry Battalion 291 base near Nan Paung, a village about 10 miles southeast of Lashio, on Saturday. According to some sources, the military retook the IB 507 base on Monday. However, this could not be confirmed at the time of reporting. The Brotherhood Alliance has not yet released any information about the current situation near Lashio. There have also been multiple reports of civilian casualties since the fighting restarted two week ago. Myanmar Now has been able to confirm at least 13 deaths, although the actual number is believed to be much higher. Local groups assisting evacuees say that at least 70 percent of Lashio’s population has fled since the fighting began, while most who remain lack the means to leave. Most shops in Lashio are reportedly now closed, and residents are only permitted to purchase 50,000 kyat (US $15) worth of fuel at a time due to high demand, according to residents.

Thousands stranded on highway as renewed fighting intensifies in northern Shan State

Junta air and artillery attacks spark a mass exodus after Brotherhood Alliance forces capture a junta base near Lashio

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