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a major ethnic rebel group in myanmar It announced on Wednesday that it had signed a ceasefire with the military following China-brokered talks, easing months of intense fighting in the country’s northeast near the Chinese border.
The ceasefire with the Tang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, marks a significant victory for Myanmar’s military government, which has reclaimed areas ahead of elections starting on December 28. Critics view these elections, which did not include the main opposition parties, as an attempt to legitimize and maintain military rule.
The ceasefire was signed during talks mediated by China on Monday and Tuesday in the Chinese provincial capital Kunming, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the Myanmar border, the TNLA said in a statement on Wednesday. telegram Messaging platform.
Beijing It has major geopolitical and economic interests in Myanmar and is deeply concerned about instability on its borders. China is also the most important foreign ally of Myanmar’s army, which has taken power by ousting the elected government there. Aung San Suu Kyi In February 2021. The takeover led to peaceful protests across the country that escalated into civil war.
Myanmar’s military government did not immediately comment on the ceasefire.
The ceasefire was announced after rebels handed back control of Nwangkyao, Kyaukme and Hsipaw, three strategic towns on a major highway linking central Myanmar with China, to the army in a fierce military offensive.
The TNLA statement said the ceasefire began on Wednesday.
The rebels said they would withdraw troops from the ruby-mining center Mogok in the upper Mandalay region and the neighboring town of Momik in the northern part of Shan state under the agreement, although no timeline was provided.
Both towns had been under the control of the TNLA, which represents the Ta’ang ethnic minority, since July last year.
In return, the army agreed to halt its ground attacks and airstrikes on the group’s remaining areas, the TNLA said. The rebels have no effective defense against air attacks.
The TNLA is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which also includes the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army. They have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government and are loosely associated with pro-democracy resistance groups that emerged after the military takeover.
From October 2023, the coalition captured and controlled significant areas of northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar. The TNLA alone captured 12 towns in the offensive.
Their advance slowed after a series of Chinese-brokered ceasefires earlier this year allowed the military to recapture key cities, including the city of Lashio in April and Nongqiao in July, as well as Kyaukme and Hsipaw in October.