After more than five years of fighting, a rare window for talks over Myanmar’s devastating civil war is appearing, driven by a shift on the battlefield where the military has regained ground and mounting regional pressure to engage.
Background
The Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF), an umbrella body that brings together several major ethnic armed organisations and the shadow government, has expressed commitment to pursuing a political settlement.
Myanmar’s junta chief turned president Min Aung Hlaing has yet to accept the SCEF as a negotiating partner, but his visit to Thailand, which is pushing for the gradual re-engagement of the regional ASEAN bloc with its war-torn neighbour, highlights wider efforts for a truce.
International Pressure
Some ethnic armed organisations that are part of the SCEF are coming under international pressure to negotiate with the Myanmar government. The Thai government has been a key player in pushing for Myanmar’s re-engagement with the regional ASEAN bloc.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
