SENG PHOO — A villager was killed and another wounded during fighting between ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in northern Shan State on Tuesday, January 5.
A shell that struck a home in the village of Nyaung Swel
A shell that struck a home in the village of Nyaung Swel, located in Namtu Township, killed the civilian. The other was injured by the shrapnel.
Loung Ba Nyan, who’s helping displaced villagers, told SHAN that the victim’s home burned to the ground during the clash. Other damages in the village caused by the fighting that happened yesterday morning were still being accessed at the time of press.
An estimated 200 villagers displaced by the clash between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS/SSA) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) are sheltering at the Mansan Monastery in Namtu Township.
Nearly one-thousand civilians have been affected by the violence between the EAOs that resumed in early December. At least three women, including a pregnant woman and a male teenager, were wounded during fighting on December 10.
SHAN attempted to reach spokespersons from both armed organizations for comment but no-one responded.
After the RCSS signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the government and Burma Army in late 2015, hostilities started with TNLA in northern Shan State.
Although the TNLA is not a signatory to NCA but there’s been discussions about reviving negotiations on a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the government along with other member groups from the Northern Alliance.
