Eight ethnic armed groups that signed a nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the Thein Sein administration in October last year will convene a summit this month to discuss the possibility of holding peace talks with the new government.
“To meet and negotiate with this incoming government, the leaders of the eight signatory groups are first planning to have a summit. But I do not know [the details] for sure yet. I only know they are still negotiating the plan,” said U Nyo Ohn Myint of the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC).
He added that the groups’ leaders would likely meet at the MPC on March 25 or 26.
The current presidential term concludes on March 30 and the new government, headed by the National League of Democracy that swept general elections last year, assumes leadership. The summit will come before signatories formally commence work with the NLD towards meeting NCA commitments.
“One [armed] group from the signatories and one group from the alliance [United Nationalities Federal Council] had a territory dispute that has now become an armed conflict. That is one topic that we will discuss at our summit. We will also discuss how to cooperate with our brother [non-signatory] armed groups for them to join us,” said Colonel Khun Okkar, chairman of Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization (PNLO).
The Thein Sein administration invited 15 ethnic armed groups to negotiate and sign the NCA, but seven abstained. Non-signatory groups include the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Shan State Progress Party, and National Socialist Council Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K).
Armed ethnic groups that were not invited to the negotiation table were the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Arakan Army (AA), Wa National Organization (WNO), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) and Arakan National Council.
The eight signatory groups are the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), Karen National Union (KNU), Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC), Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), Chin National Front (CNF), Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), and All Burma’s Students Democratic Front (ABSDF).
