Myanmar Spring Chronicle – Scenes from February 6
(MoeMaKa), February 7, 2026
The First Shan National Conference Convened by the RCSS
The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), one of the two Shan armed organizations based in Shan State, held the First Shan National Conference at its headquarters in Loi Tai Leng from February 2 to February 4.
According to the conference’s official statement, a total of 105 representatives attended, including members of the Sangha, armed revolutionary organizations operating in Shan State, political parties, political groupings, civil society organizations, and representatives from various townships.
The primary objective of the conference was to draft a Constitution for Shan State. The post-conference announcement stated that participants were able to discuss and approve 33 basic principles and 38 fundamental rights during the conference.
The statement also noted that, in order to implement these 33 agreed-upon principles and 38 fundamental rights, as well as to carry out future processes, an interim Shan State Federal Affairs Steering Committee was successfully formed.
Furthermore, the statement called for broad participation in the Shan National Conference to achieve the following goals:
• peaceful coexistence among ethnic groups within Shan State,
• the establishment of lasting and sustainable peace,
• the realization of self-determination and equality,
• the emergence of a Shan State Constitution, and
• the formation of a political entity that represents Shan State.
These are the outcomes of the Shan National Conference that concluded in recent days, along with the matters planned for future implementation.
The RCSS, based in southern Shan State, is one of the ethnic armed organizations that has participated in peace negotiations since 2011. It is also a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed in 2015, and it has continued to adhere to the NCA even after the military coup in 2021.
Shan State is the largest state in Myanmar by land area and is also considered the state with the greatest ethnic diversity. In northern Shan State, ethnic groups such as the Ta’ang (Palaung), Shan, Kokang, Kachin, Wa, Lahu, and Akha reside. In eastern and southern Shan State, Shan, Pa-O, Wa, and other ethnic communities also live.
Northern Shan State shares a long border with China and is strategically significant due to China–Myanmar border trade, oil and natural gas pipelines, and railway projects linking China to the Rakhine coast. It is also the area where Operation 1027, involving three ethnic armed organizations, took place in recent years. At present, the Three Brotherhood Alliance controls large swathes of territory, including the 105-Mile border trade zone.
As the RCSS took the initiative to convene the Shan National Conference with the aim of bringing about a Shan State Constitution, it remains unclear how other ethnic armed organizations within Shan State view or respond to this development.
During Operation 1027, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) seized large areas of territory. In recent years, disputes over territorial control and passage rights between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the TNLA have led to frictions and clashes at the ground level between their forces.
There is also the potential for disputes among ethnic armed groups over issues such as tax collection rights and military conscription in territories seized through military means.
The conference statement emphasized that peaceful coexistence among ethnic groups in a future Shan State was a core objective of holding the Shan National Conference. For this reason, the conference could represent an important political step toward building the future of Shan State. However, given the current reality—where armed groups are consolidating power by seizing as much territory as possible, establishing administrations, and in some cases erasing the national identities and symbols of other ethnic groups—it would not be incorrect to say that Shan State has reached a critical and decisive moment for its future.