Despite the military’s ongoing counteroffensive campaigns, resistance groups opposing military rule in Myanmar made substantial strategic and territorial gains in 2024. This notably included the capture of the Northeastern Regional Military Command (RMC) in Lashio — one of 14 top-level military headquarters in the country — for the first time in the country’s history. The Brotherhood Alliance, comprised of the Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party/Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNTJP/MNDAA), Palaung State Liberation Front/Ta’ang National Liberation Army (PSLF/TNLA), and United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA), revived last year’s Operation 1027 in late June, following a short-lived ceasefire under the Haigen Agreement brokered by China in January. The MNTJP/MNDAA’s capture of Lashio town in northern Shan state and the PSLF/TNLA’s capture of Mogoke, a major ruby mining hub in Mandalay region, dealt both symbolic and tactical blows to the military. Residents in Mogoke celebrated as resistance groups entered the town, while pro-military supporters called for the resignation of the military leadership after the fall of the Northeastern RMC in Lashio.1 These gains by the Brotherhood Alliance began a debate about its ability to directly threaten Mandalay city, which is 277 kilometers away from the military’s capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and home to a large civilian population.2
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