A confidential directive from Myanmar's National Unity Government on March 6 requires explicit permission for fuel shipments to Kachin, Chin, and Rakhine States, fracturing unity among opposition forces. Ethnic leaders decry the order as discriminatory, fearing it will spawn black markets and price surges that burden civilians. The rare public clash exposes tensions over resource control in the protracted fight against the military junta.
Directive Targets Fuel Flows to Peripheral States
Signed by U Lwin Ko Latt, the order directs Union Ministries, NUG coordination offices, and local administrations to allow fuel into controlled central areas but block its exit without Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration approval. Township tax and fine collection points must enforce this from issuance date, with further instructions cascading to relevant departments. Addressed amid claims of a global fuel crisis from Middle Eastern disruptions, the policy seeks centralized management during wartime scarcity.
Chin Leader Voices Discrimination Concerns
Salai Thang Cung Phe, Chairman of the Interim Chin National Consultative Council, criticized the lack of prior consultation with ethnic organizations. He argued the measure singles out residents of Kachin, Chin, and Rakhine States by stockpiling fuel centrally while gating transit, sowing public confusion and dissent. In Chin State, where revolutionary forces hold seven of nine townships against junta footholds in Hakha and Tedim, fuel typically arrives freely from central regions or India; new barriers risk civilian hardship through inflated prices and illicit trade.
NUG Defends Measure Against Junta Diversion
U Nay Phone Latt, spokesperson for the NUG Prime Minister’s Office, stated the controls prevent fuel from reaching junta forces, labeled as terrorists. Allies can secure passage upon verification, he assured. Social media erupts with Chin and revolutionary discontent, highlighting strains in the shadow government's relations with ethnic armed groups that control swathes of border territories vital to the resistance.
Strains Test Anti-Junta Alliance Foundations
Since the 2021 coup, the NUG has coordinated with ethnic organizations in a federal democratic framework, but resource disputes underscore power imbalances. Fuel sustains both civilian life and combat operations in remote states, making control a flashpoint. This rift, if unresolved, could erode solidarity against the junta, amplifying economic woes in opposition-held areas and complicating wartime logistics.
