The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), also known as the Kokang Army, has launched a sweeping forced recruitment campaign across villages under its control in Lashio Township, according to local sources, targeting residents aged 16 and above regardless of ethnicity or religion.

On January 31, MNDAA officials summoned village administrators from areas across the AT Bridge on the outskirts of Lashio to a meeting, where they announced a compulsory recruitment system requiring one person from each household, aged 16 to 36, to attend military training.

Residents told SHAN that lists of selected individuals have already been distributed, with training scheduled to begin on February 2.

“They made it clear at the meeting that one person from every household must go. It doesn’t matter what ethnicity or religion you belong to. If you live in MNDAA-controlled areas on this side of the AT Bridge, you are included,” a Lashio resident told SHAN.

Forced recruitment is currently underway in village tracts including Tar-pong, Ho-puek, Kawng-kye, and Mathkinu, located across Nam Yaw Creek. Residents said only school-age children, teachers, and certain staff members have so far been exempted, while others must comply with lists issued directly from MNDAA headquarters.

“They told us the lists would come from above and that everyone aged 16 to 36 must follow them. They said students and teachers would not be taken, but they did not clearly explain whether women would be included this time,” the resident added.

In December 2024, MNDAA spokesperson Li Kyar Win told SHAN that all residents aged 16 and above living in Special Region (1) were obligated to serve, regardless of gender. At the time, the MNDAA said women would be assigned to administrative roles, while men would be deployed for military duties.

The current recruitment drive follows the MNDAA’s withdrawal from Lashio’s urban center on April 22, 2025, after pressure from China. While MNDAA troops pulled back from the city, they remain stationed roughly four miles outside Lashio. Meanwhile, the military commission has resumed administrative control over 12 urban wards inside the city.

In nearby Nam Pong village tract, residents said MNDAA administrators have demanded 40 recruits, marking the third round of forced recruitment in the area. Similar demands have been reported in village tracts between Lashio and Mong Yai. In several cases, villages unable to meet recruitment quotas were reportedly ordered to travel to the MNDAA camp in Salween (Thanlwin) Village to formally apologize and explain the lack of available recruits.

At the same time, residents inside Lashio city said administrators under the military commission have begun door-to-door population checks since late January. Authorities have also started collecting “military service fees,” raising fears that a new round of junta conscription may be imminent.

With both the MNDAA and the military commission simultaneously intensifying recruitment and financial demands, residents say Lashio Township is increasingly caught between competing armed authorities—leaving civilians with little room to avoid forced service, mounting payments, or detention.