Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA)

Alliances

United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army (AA), Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army (SSPP).

Political Organization

Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party (MNTJP)

History in Brief

Established – 11 March 1989

Headquarters – The Commander-in-Chief’s Office is based in Hon Aing Mountain, Konkyan Township, and the Kokang Regional Administrative Committee is based in Laukkai Township.

Areas of operation – Laukkai, Konkyan, Maw Htaik, Kunlong, Hseni, Kutkai, Lashio, and Muse Townships

Estimated strength – About 10,000

Leaders – Lt. Gen. Peng Deren aka Peng Daxun (Chairperson of Special Region 1 Administrative Committee, Commander-in-Chief), Maj. Gen. Yang Wenzhou (Deputy Commander-in-Chief), Maj. Gen. Song Ke Cheng (General Secretary of Special Region 1 Administrative Committee)

The MNTJP/MNDAA is centered on and represents people of the Kokang ethnicity. Founded in 1989, it was the first ethnic splinter group from the Communist Party of Burma (CPB). The MNDAA was initially led by two brothers, Peng Jiasheng (Pheung Kya-shin) and Peng Jiafu (Pheung Kya-fu). After breaking away from the CPB, they signed a ceasefire agreement with the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).

Under the ceasefire agreement, the SLORC designated the Kokang region, also known as the northeastern region of Shan State, as Special Region 1, and granted full control to the MNDAA. Peng Jiasheng became Chairperson of Kokang Special Region 1 and, as a result, the Peng family held the utmost power in the region. The MNDAA’s Bai Suocheng and the Bai family subsequently became the second-most powerful.

When the 2008 constitution was enacted by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Kokang Special Region 1 became the Kokang Self-Administered Zone by law, and the region’s administrative body was placed under the central government. In 2009, ethnic armed groups under ceasefire were required to reform into border guard forces under the Myanmar Military. Peng Jiasheng did not accept these terms.

Tensions rose between the military and Peng Jiasheng. In June 2009, a raid was conducted on Peng Jiasheng’s residence to arrest him on charges of establishing a drug and weapon factory. Bai Suocheng joined the military government’s side. The Peng family and their followers fled the Kokang region. Bai Suocheng then became the new Chairperson of the Kokang region.

Peng Jiasheng took refuge in the NDAA-controlled Mong La region of his son-in-law U Sai Lin and reorganized the Kokang army. The regrouping of the army was led by Peng Jiasheng, his sons, and his sons-in-law. They also received support from allied forces, including the KIA. In December 2014, Peng Jiasheng said in an interview with the Global Times, a Chinese media outlet, that he would retake the Kokang region by force. On 9 February 2015, he launched an offensive and showed up again in the Kokang mountains. Peng’s military objectives included not just military bases but houses and businesses of the Bai family, who were deemed traitors, and the buildings of their business partners.

Peng’s forces became active, along with allied forces, in areas from the Kokang Self-Administered Zone to Kunlong, Hseni, Kutkai, and Lashio townships in northern Shan State. With the support of the KIA, they deployed in the Monekoe Sub-township of Muse Township. Since November 2016, the Three Brotherhood Alliance have waged an offensive against the military bases in Muse’s 105-mile trade zone, Monekoe, Laukkai, and Yanlonkyaing, and clashes have increasingly intensified. On 6 March 2017, another military operation was launched to raid military bases, police stations, and hotels in Yanlonkyaing gate and Laukkai town on the China-Myanmar border in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone. Starting from December 2018, the four Northern Alliance members, including the MNDAA, negotiated with the government and military through intermediaries, agreeing to sign a preliminary bilateral ceasefire agreement.

In the aftermath of the military coup, the MNDAA provided military training to young people who wanted to take up arms and rebel against the SAC. Troops from these training sessions were organized to form Brigade-611 in Lashio Township. On 27 October 2023, the Three Brotherhood Alliance, including the MNDAA, simultaneously attacked 20 towns. On the day the operation began, the MNDAA occupied Chin Shwe Haw town in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone. The operation was named ‘Operation 1027’, but the MNDAA also called it ‘Operation Hurricane’, with the subtext that this was an operation to return home. The main objectives of the operation were to overthrow the military dictatorship, protect the people from the oppression of the SAC, prevent further SAC operations, establish a new federal democratic union, and crack down on online scam businesses operating in the Kokang region. The Chinese government also issued arrest warrants for 10 people, including the leaders of the Kokang region operating under the SAC and their family members, as alleged online scam kingpins.

For the Three Brotherhood Alliance, ‘Operation 1027’ lasted over three months. On 5 January 2024, the entire Laukkai-based Regional Operation Command (Laukkai-ROC) surrendered, and the MNDAA regained control of the entire Kokang region. On 30 January 2024, the SAC transferred 10 members of the four Bai, Wei, Ming, and Liu families taking refuge in Nay Pyi Taw to the Chinese police. After this, both the SAC forces and the four families who had built administrative and economic influence in conjunction with the SAC disappeared in the Kokang region. The MNDAA also took control over parts of Hsenwi, Muse, and Kutkai Townships during the operation. 

The areas currently under the MNDAA’s control are important for Myanmar-China border trade and are also part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Although the MNDAA has gained extensive territorial control, it still has territorial disputes with its allies, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), in northern Shan State.

Mission and Objectives

The MNTJP/MNDAA mission is to regain administrative control over the Kokang Self-Administered Zone.

The Kokang forces have not published any specific statements about its military and political policies or objectives since their resurgence in 2014.

Leaders and Central Committee Members

No.	Name	Position
1	Lt. Gen. Peng Deren	Chairperson (Kokang Special Region 1 Administrative Committee) General Secretary (MNTJP)Commander-in-Chief (MNDAA)
2	Maj. Gen. Yang Wenzhou	Deputy Commander-in-Chief (MNDAA)
3	Maj. Gen. Li Lao Bao	Vice Chairperson (Kokang Special Region 1 Administrative Committee)
4	Maj. Gen. Song Ke Cheng	General Secretary (Kokang Special Region 1 Administrative Committee)
5	Brig. Gen. Peng Deli	Director (Management Committee)
6	Brig. Gen. Jin Xin	Director (Political Division)

Ceasefires and Peace Process 

The MNDAA tried to sign the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and participate in peace talks through the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC). However, the military and the government said that they would only enter into discussions with the MNDAA after disarmament, as the MNDAA was included in the list of small groups that emerged during the democratic government’s term after 2010.

As a result, discussions stalled, and armed conflict continued in northern Shan State. Starting in December 2018, negotiations were held between the four Northern Alliance members, including the MNDAA, and the government and military through intermediaries, which resulted in discussions concerning the signing of a preliminary bilateral ceasefire agreement.

Negotiations continued until November 2019, but the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent military coup made it impossible to continue discussions.

On October 27, 2023, the Three Brotherhood Alliance (3BHA) of the Arakan Army, MNDAA, and Ta’ang National Liberation Army launched ‘Operation 1027’. With the mediation of China, the Haigeng Agreement was reached between the Three Brotherhood Alliance and the State Administration Council (SAC) on January 12, 2024, and military operations were suspended.

Organization Participation

The MNTJP is a member of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) led by the UWSP.

The MNDAA is one of four members of the Northern Alliance (MNDAA, AA, TNLA, and KIA) and also a member of the Three Brotherhood Alliance (MNDAA, AA, and TNLA).

Political and Military Stance since the Coup

On March 30, 2021, the MNDAA, along with its allies, issued a joint statement regarding the widespread armed conflict in the country following the military coup. The statement said that the SAC must immediately stop its violence against those opposing the military dictatorship and that the MNDAA would cooperate with all ethnic people participating in the Spring Revolution.

The Three Brotherhood Alliance, which includes the MNDAA, has repeatedly declared unilateral ceasefires since 9 September 2019. The latest ceasefire was revoked in March 2021 due to the SAC’s shooting at and killing people opposing the coup of February 1, 2021.

The MNDAA has provided military training to young people wanting to form new armed resistance forces. Since the coup, the new Brigade-611 was formed in Lashio, northern Shan State, which includes PDF battalions. The MNDAA equipped them with weapons.

On October 27, 2023, the 3BHA, comprising the AA, MNDAA, and TNLA, launched Operation 1027 and subsequently occupied 17 towns. The MNDAA controlled six of these towns. During the second phase of Operation 1027, which resumed in June 2024, the MNDAA attacked Lashio and captured the entire Township and the Northeastern Regional Military Command.

Liaison Offices

None

Brigades

The MNDAA has formed and operates four brigades: Brigades 211, 311, 511 and 611.

Brigade	Areas of Operation
Brigade 211	Based in the headquarters area – Hon Aing Mountain, Konkyan Township)
Brigade 311	Operates in the Kunlong, Hseni, Kutkai, and Lashio regions in collaboration with allied forces
Brigade 511	Operates in Monekoe Sub-Township, Muse District
Brigade 611	Newly formed in 2022, operates in Lashio Township

Contact Information

Website: http://www.kokang123.com

Email: [email protected]