Clashes between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), have erupted in Kachin, Myanmar's northernmost state. These were the largest clashes the area has seen since the official status of the ethnic separatists went from "cease-fire group" to insurgent group in October 2010. Notably, clashes in Myanmar's border areas are common. The most recent fighting, which began at hydroelectric plants, is a continuation of intermittent attempts by the government to weaken the KIA/KIO. Today's Graphic of the Day shows areas of Kachin state controlled by the government and those controlled by KIA/KIO — the latter of which controls only an erratic assortment of rural enclaves throughout the state.
