(From AFP)

The US embassy in Yangon said it was “deeply concerned” over clashes involving ethnic armed groups and the military in northern Myanmar that have displaced thousands of people, and warned that the violence threatened to unravel the country’s delicate peace process.

Soldiers of the Taaung National Liberation Army, a Palaung ethnic armed group
Soldiers of Ta’aung National Liberation Army (above) are engaged in heavy fighting with a rival group RCSS in Shan state

Heavy bouts of fighting broke out last week in Shan state between two ethnic rebel groups in the region, the Restoration Council for Shan State (RCSS) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

The flare-up of violence comes during a complicated political transition from an army-backed government to Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party, which dominated historic polls last year.

“The US embassy is deeply concerned about ongoing clashes in Shan State involving the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), and the military,” the embassy said in a statement published Friday evening. Read More

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