In Myanmar, an agreement has been reached for a temporary ceasefire between the army and some rebel groups who have been waging a massive offensive against government forces since October. The deal was brokered by China, which borders Myanmar and has significant interests in the country, particularly in the northeastern regions where many ethnic Chinese also live.
The parties that signed the agreement committed to immediately stop military actions, disengage their armed forces and resolve their disputes through diplomatic negotiations. The agreement involves the government, led since 2021 by a military junta, and the Three Brothers Alliance, which brings together three of Myanmar’s largest, most experienced and best-armed ethnic militias: the Ta’ang National Liberation Army , the Arakan Army, and the National Democratic Alliance Army. A previous ceasefire had not been respected by either the rebels or the government.
The various minority ethnic groups in the country have for decades been involved in a more or less intense conflict with the central government and the army, dominated by the Burmese, the majority ethnic group. On October 27, a major coordinated offensive began between the three rebel groups and the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), a militia that wants the restoration of the democratic government deposed by the current military junta with a coup in 2021 (the PDF do not appear to be involved in the ceasefire agreed in January). The various rebel groups had attacked the army from multiple fronts, which had struggled to repel the offensive.
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The ceasefire negotiations took place in Kunming, a Chinese city about 400 kilometers from the Burmese border. Mao Ning, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said the sides promised to ensure the safety of Chinese people and projects in Myanmar. In the border area between the two countries, particularly affected by the fighting, important commercial traffic takes place. Furthermore, they had recently spread to those areas centers, run by militias allied with the Burmese government, in which Chinese people were held, kidnapped or lured by deception, to carry out online scams on their compatriots. China has repeatedly called for the closure of those centers, both by turning to the central government and by collaborating with local armed militias.