One of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed opposition factions has agreed to a China-brokered withdrawal from a lucrative ruby mining hub, the group said on Wednesday.
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Myanmar has been mired in a civil war since the military grabbed power in a 2021 coup, with the junta fighting an array of pro-democracy guerrillas and powerful ethnic minority armed groups.
The ragtag opposition initially struggled to make headway before organising a combined offensive in late 2023 that seized huge swathes of territory.
The northern ruby-mining town of Mogok was captured by rebels last summer, but the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) – the most powerful group driving that offensive – said it will now pull out.
The TNLA said in a statement on Telegram it had made a deal with the junta after two days of talks that ended on Tuesday, overseen by a Chinese special envoy in the city of Kunming in southern China.
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According to the deal, the group will pull out of the townships of Mogok and neighbouring Momeik.