The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a major ethnic armed group operating in northeastern Myanmar, has announced a unilateral ceasefire with the country’s military junta.
In a statement released on social media Tuesday night, the MNDAA declared that the ceasefire, effective immediately, means its forces will not initiate offensive operations against Myanmar’s military from their current positions.
The move comes as a number of ethnic armed groups based along Myanmar’s border with China face growing pressure from the country’s powerful neighbour over their more than year-long offensive against the regime. In addition to its concerns about the border situation, China has significant geopolitical interests in Myanmar, including access to the Indian Ocean.
The MNDAA, a Chinese-speaking ethnic Kokang armed group, gained control of the economically strategic city of Lashio in northern Shan State in August. However, China, which . . .
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