15-7-2024 (YANGON) An alliance of ethnic minority armed groups has announced a temporary cessation of hostilities with the military junta in the northern Shan state. The four-day ceasefire, set to commence on 14th July 2024, comes after weeks of intense fighting that saw the rebel forces making substantial territorial gains along a crucial highway linking Myanmar to China.
Major-General Tar Bhone Kyaw, a prominent figure in the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), one of the key members of the rebel alliance, confirmed the agreement in a statement to AFP. “We have demonstrated our willingness to cooperate with China by agreeing to this brief ceasefire in Northern Shan,” he stated, underscoring the regional implications of the conflict.
The ceasefire, scheduled to last until 18th July, marks a potential turning point in the recent upsurge of violence that has gripped the region since late June. The so-called Three Brotherhood Alliance, comprising the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the TNLA, had rekindled their offensive against the military along the strategic route to China’s Yunnan province.
This latest bout of fighting effectively nullified a previous truce brokered by Beijing in January 2024, which had temporarily halted the alliance’s advance. The renewed clashes have not only destabilised the region but also raised concerns about the impact on cross-border trade and diplomatic relations with China, a key player in Myanmar’s complex political landscape.
It is worth noting that the ceasefire agreement is geographically limited. Maj-Gen Tar Bhone Kyaw clarified that the truce does not extend to the neighbouring Mandalay region, where alliance members and other anti-junta forces have been engaged in fierce battles with government troops in recent weeks.
The announcement of this localised ceasefire raises questions about the broader strategy of both the rebel alliance and the military junta. Observers speculate whether this brief respite could pave the way for more comprehensive peace talks or if it merely represents a tactical pause in the ongoing conflict.
