On the morning of 9 April, the Restoration Council of Shan State / Shan State Army – South (RCSS/SSA) clashed with the Shan State Progress Party / Shan State Army – North (SSPP/SSA-N) in Laihka Township of Loilem District in southern Shan state. The fighting broke out near Salai Loi village.

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“The fighting did not last long. I think it only lasted for about 10 minutes. I heard that both sides suffered some causalities during the clash. It wasn’t big fighting, just a skirmish between the two forces when they were traveling in the area,” a man, who requested anonymity due to security reasons, told SHAN.

Local people reported that three SSPP/SSA-N soldiers were wounded, and that one RCSS/SSA-S soldier was killed and one captured during the clash. SHAN was not able to independently verify these numbers.

SHAN called the SSPP and RCSS spokespeople multiple times to request more information regarding the clash in Laikha Township, but neither spokesperson responded to the call.

On 3 April, RCSS/SSA-S troops had a firefight with Pa-O National Liberation Organization / Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLO/PNLA) troops in the Kadugyi region of Mawkmai Township in southern Shan State.

In February, SSPP/SSA-N troops and RCSS/SSA-S troops had a clash in Kunhing Township in southern Shan State. This clash was the first instance of fighting between the two Shan forces in southern Shan State in 2023. The clash in Laihka Township is the second clash between the two Shan forces in southern Shan state in 2023.

The RCSS/SSA-S is a signatory of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with Myanmar military/government but the SSPP/SSA-N did not sign the Agreement. Leaders of the RCSS/SSA-S and SSPP/SSA-N both attended peace-talk meetings in Naypyitaw in early 2023. The SSPP/SSA-N is a member of Federal Political Negotiation Consultative Committee (FPNCC).