Myanmar’s Junta Says It Reached Cease-Fire Deal With Rebels

Khine Lin Kyaw and James Mayger
·3 min read
4

(Bloomberg) -- Myanmar’s junta said it reached a temporary cease-fire agreement with rebels after talks backed by China, potentially ending more than two months of fighting.

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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 Major General Zaw Min Tun told Bloomberg News on Friday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed the cease-fire after talks were held on Wednesday and Thursday in the southwestern 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 last month prodded Myanmar’s junta and the rebel alliance to honor an earlier agreement to stop the clashes along the border after fighting continued.

Read: How Myanmar’s Military Has Hung On Despite Sanctions: QuickTake

The rebel alliance launched an offensive on Oct. 27 and has seized several small towns and outposts, including a trade hub on the border with China. 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 Thursday 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 cease-fire only covers the northern part of Shan State, VOA Burmese reported, citing a person from Myanmar who attended the discussions in Kunming.

“The northern Shan State cease-fire agreed upon under high pressure from China seems temporary,” said Ye Myo Hein, a senior advisor at the US Institute of Peace. “The military is unlikely to tolerate territorial losses. It will move to resume attacks on areas controlled by the Three Brotherhood Alliance sooner or later.”

A representative for one of the rebel groups, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, declined to comment on any cease-fire deal. Representatives for the Arakan Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army didn’t 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 last year. China later facilitated talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties.

Earlier this month, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong visited Myanmar to meet with military leader Min Aung Hlaing about clamping down on telecom scams and promoting trade.

Beijing has said Myanmar transferred 41,000 suspects involved in frauds to China last year as part of a crackdown on the illegal industry that has siphoned billions of dollars from unsuspecting victims.

(Updates with analyst comments in the 9th paragraph)

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