Myanmar:19 dead in fighting between army, rebels in Shan
At least 19 people have been killed in clashes between Myanmar's military and an ethnic armed group today in northern Shan State, the most deadly flare-up in recent years as fighting in the borderlands intensifies. Rights defenders say clashes in northern Myanmar near the China border ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in western Myanmar. Here's more.
Fighting between military and Ta'ang National Liberation Army
The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless Rohingya minority in Rakhine. Today's violence was, however, between the military and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north. "Nineteen (people) were killed in fighting," a Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen had been injured.
Pictures of burned-out vehicles, armed-men running for cover went viral
Thaung Tun, a local NGO leader, who helped carry the injured to the hospital, said the dead included one police officer, one rebel fighter, four state-backed militia members, and two women civilians. Pictures of burned-out vehicles and armed men spread on social media.
We fight because of thorough fighting in our region: TNLA
TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw said the group attacked joint military and militia posts in the Shan state town of Muse and on a road to Lashio. "We fight because of thorough fighting in our region and the serious offensive in Kachin State," he said, referring to fresh confrontations in Myanmar's northernmost state between the army and the TNLA-aligned Kachin Independence Army.
Over 90,000 civilians live in IDP camps in Shan, Kachin
Upwards of 90,000 people reside in internally displaced people (IDP) camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the powerful Kachin Independence Army and the military broke down in 2011. Those fleeing violence have sheltered in tents and even churches in Kachin, which is mainly Christian, as the rights groups accuse the military of blocking aid.
Ethnic groups account for one-third of Myanmar's population
Myanmar's patchwork of ethnic groups make up around a third of the population, but the Burmese have filled the Buddhist-majority country's power structures since independence in 1948.
Leader Suu Kyi brought two ethnic groups into ceasefire accord
Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said ending Myanmar's long-running conflicts was her main priority after she took power in 2016, but she shares power with the military that fought the insurgencies for decades. Suu Kyi managed to bring two ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord in February, adding to eight others who had inked the deal before she took office.
