Myanmar government forces and rebels reach ceasefire agreement

Members of a rebel group stand guard at a temple in Shan State, Myanmar (Photo: AFP).

Al Jazeera quoted Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the Myanmar military government, on January 12 as saying that the country's government, with the support of China, had reached a ceasefire agreement with rebel groups after months of intense fighting.

"We plan to discuss further and strengthen the ceasefire agreement. We will engage in further discussions between Myanmar and China to reopen the border crossing," Zaw confirmed.

The leader of one of the rebel groups also confirmed that a ceasefire agreement had been reached, adding that the talks involved a special envoy from China.

China's Foreign Ministry said peace talks took place in the Chinese city of Kunming on January 10-11, and the two sides agreed to "immediately cease fire and stop fighting".

Under the deal, the rebel groups agreed not to attack residential areas and Myanmar military camps. In return, the Myanmar military would stop airstrikes, bombings or heavy weapons attacks against the rebels.

Fighting between Myanmar government forces and rebel groups has been raging since late October. Fighting has been particularly intense along the northern border with China, forcing more than 300,000 people to flee.

Last month, Beijing said the two sides had reached a temporary ceasefire and continued dialogue. However, fighting has continued in Shan State and other parts of Myanmar, with rebels even seizing control of the Chinese border town of Laukkai last week.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/quan-chinh-phu-myanmar-va-phien-quan-dat-thoa-thuan-ngung-ban-20240112190644100.htm