Myanmar’s military government hosted representatives from ethnic rebel groups Sunday to mark the eighth anniversary of the signing of a multilateral cease-fire agreement. But the event was boycotted by three of the signatories that oppose the current army-installed regime.
The event in the capital Naypyitaw was the first such formal gathering of the military government and ethnic minority leaders since the army seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government on February 1, 2021.
Maintaining a cease-fire with as many groups as possible is crucial for the military government, which for more than two years has been faced with nationwide armed resistance from opponents of its 2021 takeover. Those pro-democracy forces have crucial alliances with, or support from, several ethnic rebel groups. The military has launched offensives in the territory long under the control of the ethnic minority groups.
In order to shake and divide the anti-military rule alliances, the military government has also conducted a series of in-person peace talks with the leaders of ethnic minorities since May last year, with little to show for its effort.
Myanmar has 21 established ethnic armed organizations and some of the largest and most powerful groups, including the Kachin Independence Army and United Wa State Army, did not endorse the cease-fire pact, which they viewed as lacking inclusiveness. The agreement had been seen as a step toward ending the longstanding rebellions against the government but the government has always been reluctant to reach the comprehensive political settlement most of the groups have sought. The army’s seizure of power undermined chances for the peace process.
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the ruling military council who spearheaded the 2021 takeover, said in his opening speech on Sunday that the cease-fire pact — officially called the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, or NCA, — would “remain in force eternally and (is) not … subject to nullification” as it was ratified by Parliament.
He said the military “attaches great importance to the implementation of the NCA agreement,” according to an official translation of his speech. He also urged groups that had not been signatories to sign the agreement.
Many ethnic armies have been fighting the ethnic Burman majority government for greater autonomy for their regions since the country, then named Burma, gained independence from the British in 1948. In October 2015, eight ethnic armed groups signed the NCA. In February 2018, two more ethnic rebel groups joined the cease-fire under Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, bringing the total number of signatories to 10.
The three groups announced on Thursday in a joint statement that the agreement is no longer valid as the military has destroyed the basic principles of the agreement and repeated vicious attacks that target civilians since its takeover. The statement said dialogue would not be held unless their demands were met.
