Swathes of Shan state - like many of the country's restive borderlands - have been embroiled in conflict for decades. The unrest is fiendishly complex, with a web of ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar's military for land, resources and autonomy. There have been cyclical attempts by Shan rebel factions to encroach on rivals' territory, but now they are turning on each other with increased ferocity. Factional fightingOne of the rebel groups now on the offensive is the Restoration Council of Shan State. Its stronghold is in the south of Shan state, but it is eyeing territory in the north, the bastion of the Taaung National Liberation Army and Shan State Army.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 13, 2019 12:22 UTC