No new major agreements between Myanmar’s armed ethnic Brotherhood Alliance and the junta were made during the latest round of peace talks brokered by China, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Representatives of the tripartite alliance’s Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) met with a regime delegation in Kunming for two days of talks that ended on Friday.
The meeting followed up on peace talks mediated by Beijing in January that resulted in a ceasefire between junta troops and the alliance in northern Shan State, which borders China. Prior to the January talks, the alliance had seized regime-controlled border trade hubs along with a large swath of northern Shan State after launching its Operation 1027 offensive at the end of October last year.
During January’s talks, both sides agreed to discuss troop deployments and border trade at future meetings.
People familiar with the latest round of talks said on Monday that negotiations on the resumption of border trade with China dominated the meeting.
“But the regime insisted that alliance troops withdraw from the border trade zone and that border trade should be managed by governments, not by armed groups. No agreement was made,” said a source.
The junta’s demand that alliance troops withdraw from other areas they have occupied in northern Shan State was also rejected, the source added.
“Basically, there was no breakthrough at the meeting.”
AA Vice Commander Brigadier General Nyo Tun Aung confirmed the alliance had held a new round of talks with the junta during a press conference on Monday.
He said topics discussed included sustaining the ceasefire, eradicating the border cyberscam industry, and operations in border trade zones, but declined to provide details.
“The alliance members will decide what details to reveal from the meeting over the coming weeks,” he said when pressed to say if any agreements had been reached during the talks.
The AA has been battling junta troops in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State since November, seizing towns in the north as it advances on the state capital of Sittwe.
AA’s Vice Commander said the China-mediated ceasefire only covers AA forces active in northern Shan State.
“It’s only for our troops in northern Shan State and has nothing to do with the AA in Rakhine,” he said.
