China Deploys Ceasefire Monitoring Team as Lashio Transfer to SAC

The MNDAA is set to transfer control of Lashio to Myanmar’s SAC, with a Chinese ceasefire monitoring team now on the ground to oversee the process. Learn more about this major shift in northern Shan State.

A Chinese ceasefire monitoring delegation arrived in Lashio on the afternoon of April 19, signaling a major shift in the control of the strategic town, which has been under the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and allied forces since August 2024.

Local residents reported that over 30 vehicles, including black cars adorned with Chinese flags, passed through the area. Witnesses stated that Chinese military personnel were also present, with many of the delegation members reportedly staying at the iconic “Two Elephants” hotel in Lashio.

Sources on the ground indicate that Chinese Special Envoy Deng Xijun personally led the delegation into Lashio, with the aim of overseeing the handover of the town to the State Administration Council (SAC). It is believed that Deng will directly facilitate the transfer process and is also planning to organize local elections within Lashio.

A resident from the southern region of Namtu, close to Lashio, said that the convoy entered from the W region. According to him, the visit is meant to mediate between the SAC forces and MNDAA, coordinating a peaceful transition of control.

Insiders close to MNDAA revealed that the group plans to hand over 12 urban neighborhoods in Lashio back to SAC forces. However, MNDAA and its allied forces will remain stationed in surrounding rural and suburban areas, maintaining a presence outside the urban core.

It is also reported that MNDAA will retain a limited presence inside Lashio through its liaison office and a small number of personnel, including military and police. Meanwhile, Chinese officials are expected to oversee administration within the town as interim mediators.

The development follows a recent shift in MNDAA’s leadership structure. After China temporarily detained MNDAA leader Peng Daxun and later released him, Beijing summoned and has since detained four Kokang military commissioners along with eight other officials on March 11. In response, MNDAA conducted an internal party meeting on March 14 to elect new military commission leaders across Kokang districts.

MNDAA and its allies originally seized control of Lashio on August 3, 2024, in one of the most significant blows to SAC’s hold over northern Shan State. The current handover, brokered under Beijing’s watchful eye, marks a major step in ongoing diplomatic and military negotiations in the region.

The MNDAA, an ethnic Kokang armed group, has been one of several key actors in the anti-junta resistance, particularly in the northern border regions. Its recent cooperation with other ethnic armed organizations has posed a significant challenge to the SAC’s control in Shan and Kachin States.

If confirmed, the return of Lashio to SAC control could mark a shift in the conflict’s dynamics, potentially opening the door to renewed talks — or, critics warn, setting the stage for further unrest depending on how the move is received on the ground.

Officials from both the MNDAA and SAC have not yet released formal statements regarding the development.