An ethnic minority armed group in Myanmar has taken over control of a lucrative border crossing to China from the country’s ruling junta.
After an armed alliance of three ethnic minority groups began an offensive against the military in October, clashes erupted across Myanmar’s northern Shan state, close to the Chinese border.
The groups have taken control of dozens of military posts as well as a town vital to trade with China, suffocating the junta’s commercial routes.
After the pandemic, the gate reopened in 2022 and is now an important trading gateway along the Myanmar-China border.
Earlier this week, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun stated that approximately 120 trucks, parked near the border crossing, had caught fire, blaming armed groups.
The increased conflict has harmed Myanmar’s already fragile economy, jeopardizing important cross-border trade and denying the military much-needed revenue and foreign cash.
According to the reports, products passing through the Kyin San Kyawt crossing include machinery, electrical appliances, agricultural tractors, and consumer items.
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