Burma-Myanmar: Burma army attacks Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) rebels in eastern Shan State
A clash between the Burma Army and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) on New Year’s Eve marked the first outbreak of conflict between government forces and an ethnic armed group signatory to the country’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
According to an RCSS/SSA-S spokesperson, fighting occurred at about 1 p.m. on December 31 in Mong Peng Township in eastern Shan State’s Kengtung District. The clash allegedly lasted one hour and involved the Burma Army Battalion No. 278 and RCSS/SSA-S troops.
“They [the Burma Army] attacked us. We lost one soldier and another one was injured,” said Col. Sai La of the RCSS/SSA-S. “But no casualties from Burma’s side have been reported.”
A source close to the Burma Army in Kengtung, who spoke to SHAN on the condition of anonymity, alleged that Batallion No. 278 “got the command” to attack when RCSS/SSA-S troops entered territory claimed by government forces.
Sai La responded by saying that the RCSS/SSA-S has been active in the disputed area in Mong Peng Township since the days of the Mong Tai Army (MTA), referring to the Shan State force led by Khun Sa who later surrendered to the Burmese military government in 1996.