CNI News

26 August 2025

The Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) announced on August 25, 2025, that there are 19 rare earth mines within the territory controlled by the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) in Special Region 4, eastern Shan State.

According to SHRF, satellite images taken on May 3, 2025, revealed the existence of 19 rare earth mining sites inside NDAA (Mong La Army) territory near the Mekong River in eastern Shan State.

“Satellite images captured in May 2025 show 19 rare earth mining sites under the control of the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA, also known as the Mong La Army) in Mong Yawn Township, at the easternmost part of Shan State. These sites are located less than 40 kilometers from the Mekong River.” said the foundation.

Most of these mines are located in mountainous areas about four kilometers from the Chinese border, at elevations of 4,000–5,000 feet above sea level. Water from this region flows into the Nap Stream, which continues southward into the Lwe River—a tributary of the Mekong River—according to SHRF.

It further stated that three of the mining sites are situated in the mountains south of the Lwe River, where water from the mines flows northward into the Lwe River.

In Myanmar, rare earth mining sites are found in Kachin State under the control of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)—specifically in Panwa, Chipwi, and Momauk—as well as in eastern Shan State, controlled by the NDAA and UWSA (United Wa State Army).

The NDAA broke away from the Communist Party of Burma in 1989, signed a peace agreement with the Myanmar Tatmadaw, and its area was designated as Special Region 4.