- Summary
- Rebel alliance stormed outposts, seized control of towns
- Junta leadership, facing multiple issues, at weakest since the coup
- Around 50,000 people displaced as shelling and airstrikes continue
BANGKOK, Nov 10 (Reuters) - A rebel alliance has overrun parts of northern Myanmar, including areas bordering China, with resistance to the military junta notching its most significant win since the 2021 coup, according to a rebel commander, diplomats and analysts.
The fiercest fighting has been near Myanmar's border with China in northern Shan state where three powerful ethnic armed groups have combined to lead an offensive that has taken multiple towns and military outposts in recent weeks.
Myanmar's military-appointed president said on Thursday the country was at risk of breaking apart due to the failure to deal with the insurgency more effectively.
Alarmed by its neighbour's deteriorating situation, China's foreign ministry said on Friday that Beijing will ensure security and stability at its border with Myanmar and urged all parties there to stop fighting immediately.
Anti-junta fighters operating with "unprecedented coordination" have overrun 100 military outposts and the junta stands to lose control of key border crossings that account for some 40% of cross-border trade and a vital tax revenue source, the United States Institute of Peace think-tank said.
Around 50,000 people have been displaced in Shan, where artillery shelling and airstrikes are continuing, and some have crossed into China, the United Nations said on Friday.
"It is very significant," said one diplomat with knowledge of the assault named...
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