HistoryData
Historical ConflictLaukkai

Battle of Laukkai

The MNDAA's capture of Laukkai in late 2023 marked a major rebel victory in Myanmar's civil war, seizing the Kokang regional capital from junta forces.

Duration & Scope

2023 2024

1 year

Key Facts

Operation
Part of Operation 1027
City captured
Laukkai, capital of Kokang SAZ
Surrender date
26 December 2023
Personnel evacuated
Up to 1,000 to Lashio
Final surrender
4 January 2024

Strategic Narrative Overview

The MNDAA seized the border town of Chinshwehaw on the first day of Operation 1027. By late November 2023, rebel forces encircled Laukkai and took key outposts. Fighting intensified from 1 December, with the Four Buddhist Statues Hill captured on 3 December. Brief peace talks in mid-December failed. Combat resumed on 18 December, and by 19 December the MNDAA captured key border gates and pressed into the city.

01 / The Origins

The Battle of Laukkai arose from Operation 1027, a coordinated offensive launched by the Three Brotherhood Alliance — three ethnic armed organisations opposing Myanmar's military junta. The MNDAA targeted Laukkai, the administrative capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in northeastern Myanmar, as part of a broader effort to seize territory from the Tatmadaw amid the country's renewed civil war following the 2021 military coup.

03 / The Outcome

On 26 December 2023, Tatmadaw forces and Border Guard Forces under Bai Suocheng surrendered to the MNDAA. By 28 December, the MNDAA controlled most of Laukkai. Remaining junta personnel surrendered on 4 January 2024, with up to 1,000 troops evacuating to Lashio. The fall of Laukkai handed the MNDAA full control of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone capital.

Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis

Side A

1 belligerent

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA)

Side B

2 belligerents

Tatmadaw (Myanmar Military Junta)Border Guard Forces (led by Bai Suocheng)
Key Commanders

Bai Suocheng.

Outcome
MNDAA victory; Laukkai captured; junta forces surrendered or evacuated to Lashio by 4 January 2024

Kinetic Engagement Axis

Major engagements timeline (2023–2024)Timeline of major military engagements plotted chronologically.202320242023Seizure of Chins…Allied2023Encirclement of …Allied2023Capture of Four …Allied2023Push into Laukka…Allied2023Surrender of Tat…Allied

Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.

Side A victorySide B victoryInconclusiveDecisive / turning point

Location

Map of Laukkai, MyanmarMap of Laukkai, MyanmarLaukkai, Myanmar