Government troops exchanged fire with Kachin Independence Army's (KIA) battalion 36 in northern Shan state last Sunday. According to Naw Bo Jar, a KIA military commander, government troops began their offensive at midnight inciting a conflict that lasted three hours and resulted in at least four KIA fatalities in Monggo area in Muse Township. At the time of press it was unknown if any government soldiers were killed.
Since a seventeen-year ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Organization's (KIO) - KIA’s associated political body- unraveled in June of 2011 fighting has continued unabated despite a series of peace meetings with the government-led Union Peace Making Working Committee (UPWC).
During the last peace talks in May a seven-point agreement was signed pledging to decrease military tensions to work towards a future peace agreement. As part of these efforts the KIO recently opened an office in the Kachin state capital of Myitkyina for the new peacemaking technical team that will assist with these pledges.
KIA military bases were attacked the same day the office opened. KIO representatives complained about the ongoing attacks to the government’s chief peace negotiator Minister U Aung Min, who promised to work towards resolving the situation. But the attacks are continuing. The Burma military are reinforcing their troops near to the KIO headquarters of Laiza Town, according to Colonel Naw Bo.
Since the fighting started, KIO officials have met with the UPWC nine times officially and four times unofficially. A long term bilateral resolution has yet to materialize.
