Myanmar officers (Source: UCANews)Hanoi (VNA) – Myanmar’s army announced on December 21 suspensionof all military actions against armed groups which are operating in five militarycommand regions for over four months until April 30, 2019.
According to an announcement of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief ofthe Defense Services, during the military's non-operation period, ethnic armedgroups in respective operation areas are to negotiate for ceasefire and peacewith the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre.
The army assumed that during the period, it may also need to negotiate withall those remaining non-ceasefire signatory armed groups scattered in thenorthern, northeastern, eastern, middle-eastern and triangle military commandareas to sign the Nationwide Cease fire Accord (NCA).
The announcement called on all armed groups to stick to their four-pointpromise agreed under the military's six-point peace policy and not to takeadvantage out of the agreements as well as not to create burden on localpeople.
The army also pledged to cooperate for and take care of the repatriationof displaced people, who fled the conflict areas, back to their homes.
The military's announcement came in response to a joint statement issuedon December 12 by the non-ceasefire signatory Northern Alliance Ethnic Forces,comprising three ethnic armed groups, in which the armed groups voiced supportfor the government's efforts for national reconciliation and nationwide peace.
The three forces, namely the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army(MNDAA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Arakan Army (AA), expressedtheir desire to join hands with government forces to settle military disputeand political matters through dialogue.
In order to realise peace as early as possible and create a status ofpeace, the three alliance forces hoped for the suspension of military action topave way for political engagement to achieve national reconciliation andpeace.
So far, 10 ethnic armed groups have signed the NCA with the governmentsince it was initiated in October 2015.
There remains mainly seven Northern Alliance armed groups which have notyet signed the NCA. Of them, three issued the December 12 joint statement.-VNA
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