Ceasefire declaration extended two months for five commands

By Phadu Tun Aung 30 Apr 2019

Phadu Tun Aung/ DMG
April 30, Sittwe

The Tatmadaw extended its unilateral ceasefire declaration for another two months because the KIA, TNLA and MNDAA requested to get more time for peace negotiations, the Office of Commander-in-Chief announced on April 30.

The Tatmadaw’s ceasefire declaration for the Northern Command, North-East Command, East Command, Central Command and Triangle Region Command expired on Tuesday. The Tatmadaw keep omitting the Western Command for ceasefire declarations.

“The Western Command, Rakhine State, has been left out for two reasons. The ARSA operates in the region and it is a government-controlled area,” spokesperson of the Tatmadaw Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun told the DMG regarding the exclusion of the Western Command from the declaration of ceasefire talks.

Non-signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement have also been participating in peace dialogues during the Tatmadaw’s unilateral ceasefire announcement, and the KIA, TNLA and MNDAA requested to extend the Tatmadaw’s ceasefire to pursue negotiations till they can sign the NCA.

The Tatmadaw announced that the ceasefire is extended for two months in order to effectively carry out a peace making process towards sustained peace.

The AA said there were nearly 400 clashes between the Tatmadaw and AA for over a period of four months in Rakhine State, yet the Tatmadaw did not accept the number skirmishes the AA said. Meanwhile, the number of IDPs has reached nearly 40,000 in the region.

If the Tatmadaw exclude Rakhine State from its ceasefire areas after the end of its four-month ceasefire, we can conclude that the Tatmadaw does not have a good intentions, three Northern Alliances including the AA announced on April 24.

They also said that the three Northern Alliances will have to resort to do what they have do if the Myanmar Army keep on launching offensive operations intensely against the AA.