Myanmar’s junta says it reached ceasefire deal with rebels
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The Myanmar military has been battling rebels fighting to end its control of their regions since late October 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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YANGON – Myanmar’s junta said it reached a temporary ceasefire agreement with rebels after talks backed by China, potentially ending more than two months of fighting.
The deal between the government and the alliance of three rebel groups was clinched with the support of China after several rounds of talks, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told Bloomberg News on Jan 12.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed the ceasefire after talks were held on Jan 10 and 11 in the south-western Chinese city of Kunming.
“The two sides promised not to undermine the safety of Chinese people living in the border area and Chinese projects and personnel in Myanmar,” she added at a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Whether the agreement holds is an open question. China in December prodded Myanmar’s junta and the rebel alliance to honour an earlier agreement to stop the clashes along the border after fighting continued.
The rebel alliance launched an offensive on Oct 27 and has seized several small towns and outposts
The conflict highlights the challenges that Myanmar’s junta faces controlling the country, nearly three years after a coup. Beijing had repeatedly called for a halt in the fighting.
The rebel group, known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance, said in a joint statement late on Jan 11 that there were clashes in Shan and Rakhine, two states near the border with China. The junta used air strikes and artillery in its attacks, the alliance said.
The ceasefire covers only the northern part of Shan state, radio station VOA Burmese reported, citing a person from Myanmar who attended the discussions in Kunming.
A representative for one of the rebel groups, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, declined to comment on any ceasefire deal. Representatives for the Arakan Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army did not answer phone calls.
An agreement taking effect would be a significant diplomatic feat for China, which has been trying to portray itself as a peacemaker in conflicts around the world.
That campaign has shown mixed results so far. A blueprint for bringing peace to Ukraine has made no progress since it was rolled out in February 2023. China later facilitated talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties
Earlier in January, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong visited Myanmar to meet military leader Min Aung Hlaing about clamping down on telecommunications scams and promoting trade.
Beijing has said Myanmar transferred 41,000 suspects involved in frauds to China in 2023 as part of a crackdown on the illegal industry that has siphoned billions of dollars from unsuspecting victims. BLOOMBERG
