Naypyidaw, peace talks. The most hostile rebels are also invited

They will take place this week and are the result of a series of informal meetings. The government asked each of the eight organizations to form a delegation. Groups opposed to the ceasefire also participate. Aung San Suu Kyi intends to end decades of conflicts that have hampered the transition to a democratic federal union.


Naypyidaw (AsiaNews / Agencies) - For the first time, the Burmese government has invited eight ethnic groups that have not signed the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) to the peace talks: It was announced last week by rebel organizations that received the convocation for the negotiations , which will open on March 21st.

These are the United Wa State Party(Uwsp), the Kachin Independence Organization (Kio), the Mongla’s Eastern Shan State Peace and Solidarity Committee (Psc), the Shan State Progressive Party (Sspp), the Kokang’s Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party (Mntjp), the Palaung State Liberation Front (Pslf), the United League of Arakan (Ula) and the Karenni National Progressive Party (Knpp).

On March 22nd, a team of Tatmadaw negotiators (the Burmese army) will meet each of the political groups in separate meetings, an expression of their respective armed groups. The government has asked each of the organizations to form a delegation headed by a leader and an exponent of the armed wing.

The military will discuss the unilateral ceasefire with the rebels declared last December in five of their regional commands, in order to restart the peace process. The truce will last until April. It excludes the Western Command, where government troops are engaged in armed clashes with the Arakan Army (Aa), in the western state of Rakhine. The Tatmadaw is also conducting operations in the north of Shan State, against the Kachin Independence Army (Kia) and the Shan State Army (Ssa) [militiamen of Kio and Sspp].

The talks will take place this week and are the result of a series of informal meetings, which the Nayipyidaw Peace Commission held with Kio, Pslf, Mntjp and Ula in the Chinese province of Yunnan on February 25 and with Knpp in Chiang Mai, in Thailand, March 10.

Led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) - Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's party -, the government chaired periodic peace conferences, in an attempt to involve the ethnic armed organizations (Eao) that did not sign the NCA. The Agreement is a prerequisite for sitting at the table of the Panglong Peace Conference of the 21st century and the Union Peace Conference. Through these initiatives, the administration hopes to put an end to decades of conflicts that have hindered the country's transition to a democratic federal union.