a central-level meeting aimed at addressing the ongoing military tensions between the Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) ended without any results, according to sources.
In early May, central-level political representatives from the SSPP and officials from the MNDAA held a meeting in Panghsang, a town under the control of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), to discuss the ongoing military tensions. However, the meeting did not produce any agreements, according to a military source.
“The troops have not retreated and have taken positions. They asked us to move our troops in Muse and Kutkai. When they realized that we would not agree to withdraw, they told us not to collect taxes on the Union Highway. And so the meeting ended without any results,” said a military source close to the SSPP.
An attempt to contact SSPP spokesperson Sai Phone Han by phone regarding the central-level meeting with the MNDAA was unsuccessful, as his phone was switched off.
Although the SSPP has issued a statement saying that both parties would address the military clashes and tensions through a central-level meeting, neither side has yet disclosed the outcomes or details of the discussions.
On 20 April, the SSPP Information Department released a statement saying that on 28 and 29 April, there were military confrontations between the SSPP and MNDAA in eight locations within Nam Ma village and Hsinkyawt village tract in Thibaw Township.
A total of 24 incidents of clashes occurred between the two sides, resulting in injuries among soldiers from both groups.
The statement mentioned that on 29 April, MNDAA forces intruded into territory controlled by the SSPP/SSA, where they detained and assaulted SSPP members and forcibly relocated their positions. This provoked a nearly two-hour clash between the two sides, resulting in casualties.
Similarly, although the MNDAA temporarily seized control of the Sein Kyawt base, which is under SSPP control, the SSPP/SSA has since regained control of the base, according to an official statement from SSPP Info.
Currently, the MNDAA is reinforcing its troops near villages where SSPP/SSA bases are located in Thibaw and Lashio Townships. The situation between the two armed groups remains tense, according to local residents.
The SSPP/SSA and the MNDAA are allies within the seven-member Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), which is led by the UWSA.
Sent by Shan News
