By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
New players emerge in fighting in Myanmar's northeast, as powerful ethnic militias intervene
preview.jpg
FILE - A soldier from the United Wa State Army is seen on a street of Nandeng in the Wa region of Myanmar, Sept. 3, 2009. Recently renewed combat in northeastern Myanmar between troops of the military government and ethnic minority militias has in the past few days become more complicated, as two minority groups not previously involved in the fighting stepped into the fray, claiming to act as a third force for stability. - photo by AP Photo, File
BANGKOK (AP) — Recently renewed combat in northeastern Myanmar between troops of the military government and ethnic minority militias has in the past few days become more complicated, as two minority groups not previously involved in the fighting stepped into the fray, claiming to act as a third force for stability. The intervention of the powerful fighting forces of the United Wa State Army and the Shan State Army-North highlights tensions among the various ethnic minority guerrilla groups who have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government. While many of the groups have alliances with the pro-democracy resistance forces that arose to fight military rule after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, they prioritize their own goals, which include control over territory.