Bangkok– leader of myanmar State-run newspapers reported Tuesday that the military-backed government has invited the country’s armed resistance groups to fresh peace talks, the first such call from President Min Aung Hlaing since he took office earlier this month.
Min Aung Hlaing’s call for talks was made as part of a self-declared 100-day program he announced wardrobe The meeting was held in the capital Naypyitaw on Monday, giving priority to peace and stability as well as development, state newspaper Myanma Allin reported.
chairman Took charge on 10 April After an election critics say was neither free nor fair and was designed to maintain Army’s grip on power Five years after the ouster of the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. As military chief of staff, Min Aung Hlaing led the takeover and led an unelected military government.
The military’s seizure of power intensified a long-running armed resistance in Myanmar, as pro-democracy activists joined forces with ethnic armed groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades, resulting in civil war Most parts of the country are still affected. The military government held a series of in-person peace talks with ethnic minority leaders in 2022 aimed at weakening anti-military alliances, but yielded no results.
On Monday, Min Aung Hlaing said he was inviting ethnic armed groups to hold new talks by July 31, Myanmar Allin reported.
However, a spokesman for the National Unity Government, the main group coordinating opposition to military rule, said by phone Tuesday that it and People’s Defense Force units under its command will continue to fight along with other resistance forces until their goals are achieved.
Ne Phon Lat said, “We all have already understood that the purpose of the army’s fake invitations is to prolong the subjugation of the people under military rule.”
Myanmar has 21 established ethnic armed organizations with a history of armed conflict, 10 of which signed multilateral ceasefire agreements, known as Nationwide Ceasefire Agreements or NCAs, in 2015 and 2018 under previous governments. However, four of the signatories rejected the agreement and resumed fighting after the 2021 military takeover.
Min Aung Hlaing was quoted as saying, “Both NCA signatories and non-signatories are invited to participate in the peace process.” He also invited armed guerrilla groups, collectively known as the People’s Defense Force – which were formed to fight to restore democracy after the military takeover – to disband and enter the legal fold within a 100-day period.
Other aspects of the 100-day program include social and economic measures and infrastructure.
For several decades, Myanmar has seen a cycle of ceasefires, leading to intermittent periods of relative peace, but none have produced a comprehensive political settlement that would grant ethnic groups the degree of autonomy they want in the border areas where they dominate.
The new initiative has come after the army regained the lead Following a series of nationwide clashes in mid-2025 There was a ceasefire with the mediation of China The number of major rebel groups and the army increased after the activation of the conscription law in early 2024.
The army has taken back territory from ethnic militias, including the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which launched powerful offensives against pro-democracy resistance forces in northeastern Myanmar and western Myanmar near the Chinese border.
The Taung National Liberation Army, a member of the coalition, congratulated Min Aung Hlaing on his presidency in a statement last Wednesday and said it looked forward to peace talks.
