Kokang Offensive Shakes Brotherhood Alliance

Mizzima

Tensions within Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance have erupted into open conflict, with the Kokang-led Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) seizing full control of Kutkai in northern Shan State. The takeover, completed just after midnight on 15 March, forced the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) to withdraw, exposing deep fractures in the alliance.

Barely hours after consolidating its hold on Kutkai, the MNDAA launched a major offensive towards Namhkam. By 16 March, its forces were striking the strategic 12-Mile Hill with heavy drone bombardments, a move designed to secure the last major town in the area not under Kokang control. Reports suggest the MNDAA may also be advancing from the Muse side, though this remains unconfirmed.

The clash stems from a 14 March incident, when the MNDAA accused the TNLA of ambushing its troops during a patrol. The Kokang army swiftly declared that the TNLA would bear “full responsibility” for the fallout. Despite the TNLA’s public call for dialogue the following day, the MNDAA pressed ahead with what it described as a “full strength” military campaign.

Sources close to the TNLA say the withdrawal from Kutkai was not due to battlefield defeat but to orders forbidding engagement. “There was no authorisation to fire or send reinforcements,” one insider explained, adding that some TNLA units remain east of the Pyidaungsu Road.

The MNDAA’s rapid advance now gives it control over the Hsenwi–Kutkai–Muse stretch of the Pyidaungsu Highway, leaving Namhkam as the last significant holdout. Drone strikes resumed on 16 March after a brief pause, targeting military bases above the town.

The escalation has alarmed civil society groups. Organisations including the National Unity Consultative Council and regional health networks have urged an immediate halt to hostilities between the two ethnic armies, both nominally allied against Myanmar’s military junta.

For now, however, the Brotherhood Alliance appears fractured, with the MNDAA determined to consolidate its territory and the TNLA sidelined. The outcome of the Kokang offensive on Namhkam will likely determine whether this alliance can survive—or whether it has already broken beyond repair.

-2026-03-19