| Thaw Le Hta offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
Armed conflicts
Coup d'états Protests Related topics  Myanmar portal |
On 26 April 2021 the Tatmadaw and the Karen National Liberation Army (the armed wing of the Karen National Union) clashed near the Myanmar–Thailand border.[1][2] The fighting ended with the capture and scorching of a Tatmadaw military base by the Karen National Liberation Army. The Tatamdaw responded with airstrikes in Kayin State.[2] As of late April, 2021, Al Jazeera described the clashes as "the fiercest fighting between the Tatmadaw and an ethnic armed group since the 1 February coup."[3]
The clashes occurred in the backdrop of increasing violence and protests in Myanmar caused by the Tatmadaw's coup on 1 February 2021. Prior to the clashes, international organisations and analysts, such as the United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar, warned that an escalation in violence could lead to a nationwide civil war.[4] The clashes also broke a brief period of "relative calm" that followed the ASEAN Summit held two days earlier.[3]
- ^ Ratcliffe, Rebecca (27 April 2021). "Myanmar: ethnic armed group seizes military base near Thai border". the Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Fighting erupts in Myanmar; junta to 'consider' ASEAN plan". Reuters. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Fighting erupts in eastern Myanmar near Thai border". aljazeera.com. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "UN envoy warns of civil war in Myanmar without Security Council action". France 24. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2024.