On January 24th, the Northern Alliance declared that the military junta in northern Shan State, which had agreed to a ceasefire following China’s intervention, is not taking the agreement seriously and is violating it.
The ceasefire is referred to as the Higgins Agreement, in which the parties agreed not to advance from their current positions, refrain from seizing camps and engaging in urban capture battles, and to abstain from launching mortar shells and airstrikes on the territories ceded by the military junta.
However, the military junta has resumed operations in the territories of the northern twin groups. On January 24th, the 2nd column of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a part of the military junta, initiated an offensive in the Mupan district of the Kokang region. The statement reported the unfortunate death of a MNDAA soldier.
The military junta violated the agreement for the first time in January and is now in breach of it for the second time.
The three northern allies forces would have continued to occupy some of the city if not for the ‘Higgins Agreement’ brokered by China. The statement further asserted, “If the Higgins Agreements are not followed, the operation targets and city battles will continue to be implemented as specified.”
Despite a ceasefire agreement between the military junta and the three northern alliances, local reports say that fighting continues in the northern parts of Shan State.
The military junta has not responded to the ongoing attacks in the northern Shan region, despite having signed a contract with the three northern alliance forces. A military analyst mentioned that the military junta’s violation of this agreement could lead to a resumption of fighting in the northern Shan region.
The military’s peace-making group, NSPNC, announced during a meeting with the three northern alliance forces in Kunming, China, on December 23rd, that they would use new weapons to destabilize areas in the region lost by the military junta and occupied by revolutionary forces.
At the time the Higgins Agreement was reached, the Northern Alliance had already captured 16 towns in northern Shan State.
