Myanmar yesterday signed a ceasefire with eight ethnic minority armies in a step towards ending decades of civil war, a move weakened by the refusal of several other rebel groups to join the deal.
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The pact concluded nearly two years of intense talks to bring peace to the Southeast Asian country.
“We have to keep fighting for our freedom, for our political rights”, said Thar Phone Kyaw, general secretary of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, which also refused to sign.
More than three years of negotiations failed to produce an agreement on a broad political vision for Burma’s ethnic regions.
“Even though the agreement is not nationwide yet, we will try harder to gain the agreement with other groups”.
The Global New Light of Myanmar, a state-backed newspaper, hit newsstands Thursday morning with the headline “Peace Starts Now” on its front page.
At the ceremony attended by top representatives of the army and the leaders of the rebel militia, dressed in traditional clothing, Thein Sein said “The agreement represents the mutual trust between us, and a legacy for future generations”.
Authorities had cited widespread flooding for a proposed postponement, but quickly dropped the idea which was vehemently rejected by Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition.
Sai Khay Saing, a spokesman for a group of ethnic Shan civil society groups, told RFA’s Myanmar Service that government troops had used “heavy weapons” in an attack Wednesday near the headquarters of the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), which oversees the SSA-N, causing villagers to flee.
With an estimated 20,000 soldiers and around 10,000 militiamen, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) is the militarily strongest ethnic armed group in the country. Attendees to the historic signing [BBC news] included representatives of the United Nations, the European Union and China. While things have changed since the Karen refugee crisis began, the agreement will still have an impact on Burmese citizens.
Violent clashes still rage in parts of the country, mainly in the northern Kachin and Shan states.
We call on all NCA signatories to adhere to the spirit and letter of the agreement they have signed today. “We hope through… successful implementation they will be on board with us in the political process and the political dialogue”, he said.
“Having a ceasefire in place [will] help pave the way for elections to take place in many ethnic areas later this year”, Nguyen said.
Tu Ja, a Catholic Kachin politician with the Kachin State Democracy Party, said that any meaningful peace agreement has to include all ethnic groups. However, eight of ethnic armies have refused to sign.
While the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement is a good start, there is still a long road ahead for all parties involved in Myanmar’s peace process. It does not require the ethnic groups to disarm.
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He went on to say that the “public commitment made by the Government to work for a federal union based on democracy and equality is a milestone” and that the negotiation process that resulted in this agreement has built greater confidence among all stakeholders.
