The KIA and TNLA say they have fought the Tatmadaw in northern Shan State.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) have both experienced battles with government forces in recent days in northern Shan State, representatives told NMG.

A KIA representative, Col Naw Bu, said that his group has fought the Burma Army on three to four occasions this month in Muse Township.

“We clashed with the Burma Army on April 18. Clashes occurred in the control areas of the KIA’s Brigade 6—Battalion No. 9 and No. 36—in northern Shan State,” he said, adding that clashes had also occurred in the area between April 20 and 22.

The military situation in Kachin State also remains unstable, according to Col Naw Bu.

The Burma Army also clashed with the TNLA in northern Shan State’s Namkham Township on April 22.

“We clashed with them today,” the TNLA’s Maj Mai Aik Kyaw told NMG. “Clashes occurred near Nan-se village in Namkham Township. It lasted… about 15-20 minutes.”

According to TNLA, the fighting took place with military columns from the Burma Army’s Light Infantry Division 88.

“Even though it was a small battle, the Burma Army opened fire with artillery, using with at least 20 rounds, from Burma Army’s new military camp in Namkham,” Maj Mai Aik Kyaw said.

The fighting occurred in the afternoon and that the fire had hit nearby villages, he added.

NMG has repeatedly tried to call the Tatmadaw’s True News Information Team to obtain comment on the recent fighting with ethnic armed organizations, but has received no response. The office of the military’s commander-in-chief has not reported the fighting.

The Burma Army declared a four-month unilateral ceasefire on December 21, 2018, in five military command regions, including northern Shan State. It expired this month.