UN concerned about fighting in Myanmar

The United Nations is concerned about fighting between the military and armed groups in Myanmar, which has caused civilian casualties and displaced more than 30,000 people.

"We are concerned about the heavy fighting, particularly in Shan State, northern Myanmar, with reports of air strikes causing civilian casualties and tens of thousands of people being displaced," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said on November 6.

According to him, since October 26, nearly 33,000 people, including women and children, have been evacuated.

"UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemns all forms of violence and continues to insist that civilians must be protected. He calls for restraint, de-escalation and access to humanitarian aid," spokesman Dujarric added.

The UN said key roads were blocked by checkpoints set up by both sides, and telephone and internet services were disrupted. The main airport in Lashio, Shan State’s largest town, has been closed since the fighting escalated.

Across Myanmar, two million people are displaced, many of them having fled their homes multiple times.

Major General Peng Deqi (center) of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) commands operations against Myanmar troops near Lashio town, Shan State on October 27. Photo: AFP — Members of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), an armed group fighting against the Myanmar military, operate near Lashio town, Shan State on October 27. Photo: *Kokang Information Network*

Shan State is located on the border with China. Myanmar's border region is home to more than a dozen rebel groups, some of which have been fighting the military for decades for autonomy and control of natural resources.

The Brotherhood Alliance, comprising the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA), launched Operation 1027 on October 27, attacking a series of Myanmar military bases in Shan and Kachin states. The Myanmar military admitted on November 2 that it had lost control of the strategic town of Chinshwehaw, which borders China's Yunnan province.

On November 4, the Brotherhood Alliance announced that it had seized dozens of outposts, four towns, and blocked important trade routes to China. The Myanmar military has not commented on the Brotherhood Alliance’s November 4 announcement, but has previously said that the armed group’s claims of “capturing several towns” were “propaganda.”

The fighting is seen as posing a threat the Myanmar military has not faced since the 2021 coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.