An ethnic armed group in northeastern Myanmar has seized a major crossing point for trade along the Chinese border. The border gate in Laukkaing township, the capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in the northern part of Shan state, became the fifth crossing seized by the group since it launched a coordinated offensive on Oct. 27 with two other groups. The alliance’s attacks have posed a challenge Myanmar’s military government, which has struggled to contain a nationwide uprising by members of the Peoples’ Defense Force, a pro-democracy armed group established after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
