Phyo Lin Aung (NP News)
While peace is an easy concept to talk about, maintaining it in reality requires profound, sustained effort and a sense of balance. Myanmar, grappling with a protracted internal conflict, has frequently seen successive governments steer the country toward the path of peace; yet, lasting peace is never guaranteed. Once again, President U Min Aung Hlaing has strongly reiterated his intention to pursue peace efforts to ensure success during his five-year term. The two primary areas of focus for his tenure are development and peace.
Myanmar is home to 135 distinct ethnic groups, many of which have sought to organize and operate as ethnic armed organizations. There are currently no fewer than twenty such groups, whose activities involve both political and military wings. These circumstances have hindered the peace process. However, there is no cause for despair. The government is currently pursuing peace through a systematic, multi-pronged approach. Following the initiation of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) process in 2013, the government has held hundreds of informal meetings with ethnic armed organizations. Furthermore, rather than limiting discussions to Nay Pyi Taw, peace delegates have traveled to locations including Yangon and the territories where these armed groups are based to hold talks and build trust.
Most recently, the National Unity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) met with the MNDAA (Kokang group), one of the three members of the Northern Alliance. This meeting represents further progress in the government's peace negotiation efforts and marks the first time the government and the MNDAA have met for talks in Nay Pyi Taw. The discussions focused on maintaining national unity, building a democratic and federal union, and achieving peace through inclusive, free, and unconditional dialogue. Additionally, the parties discussed matters concerning self-administered zones as well as cooperation in combating online fraud and narcotics trafficking. Key topics for the MNDAA included securing political legitimacy and reopening border trade crossings. Furthermore, the government raised the possibility of the MNDAA establishing a political party and participating in elections.
The so-called Operation 1027 launched by the Three Brotherhood Alliance came to a halt after the Wa armed force publicly announced around 2025 that it could no longer provide military assistance to its allies. Subsequently, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the Mongla group (NDAA), and the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) held discussions in Nay Pyi Taw recently. In July, the government also met with the TNLA (PSLF), another member of the Northern Brotherhood Alliance. Furthermore, the NSPNC is actively conducting meetings, negotiations, and review sessions in Nay Pyi Taw with groups that have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) as well as those that have not.
Relations between the Wa force and the Tatmadaw have grown closer, with cooperation evident in areas such as the handover of suspects and efforts to combat crime. Additionally, on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the TNLA released a statement saying that it burned and destroyed seized narcotics worth $5.5 million within its territory. These developments reflect an improving approach between the government and ethnic armed groups that were previously in conflict. Observing this, it is evident that the current government is striving to align its actions with its words regarding peace, and it must be said that their peace dialogues are proving effective.
Furthermore, the government has made multiple peace overtures to ethnic armed organizations. One of the ethnic armed groups that has received peace offers from the government is the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) currently engaged in fierce fighting in Kachin State. As such, the FPNCC (Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee), a coalition of ethnic armed organizations in the border region, will be divided between warring ethnic armed groups and ethnic armed groups willing to negotiate with the government. The FPNCC consists of the UWSA, the NDAA, the KIA, the SSPP, the MNDAA, the AA, and the TNLA.
Thus, the KIA and the AA remain the only two armed groups in the FPNCC that have not yet entered into peace talks. Both are currently embroiled in intense fighting with the Tatmadaw. Under the banner of Operation 4926, the Tatmadaw is waging renewed, intense fighting in AA-controlled areas of Rakhine State, with recent offensives specifically targeting the townships of Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun. Additionally, clashes are ongoing with the KIA in Bhamo, Katha, Shwegu, Momeik, and Homalin, as well as along the border with Chin State.
Due to the intensity of the ongoing clashes, peace talks with these two groups may be delayed. However, given the close relationships that persist between the armed groups currently engaged in fighting and those already negotiating with the government, there is hope that the latter could help persuade the former to come to the peace negotiating table.
This optimism stems from a statement issued by the Kokang armed force revealing that, shortly after meeting with the NSPNC in Nay Pyi Taw, top leaders from the Three Brotherhood Alliance—comprising the MNDAA, the TNLA, and the AA—held a meeting in Laukkai, a town on the China-Myanmar border. The statement noted that the meeting took place during the Mooncake Festival held on September 24 and 25 in Laukkai, an area designated by the Kokang side as Special Region 1. During the gathering, the leaders reportedly reviewed the history of the Brotherhood Alliance and their mutual support for one another, while also discussing future cooperation. Therefore, given that these groups share the same objective, proposals will likely be made to align their respective courses of action toward peace.
Another potential sign of progress was the meeting held on September 29–30, 2026, at the NSPNC office in Yangon between the NSPNC and the negotiating team representing the 7 EAO Alliance, comprising NCA-signatory Ethnic Armed Organizations. These developments can be cited as clearly visible indicators of progress. However, given the significant escalation of armed conflict following the events of 2021, it is too early to determine whether comprehensive peace can be achieved within the current government's five-year term.
In summary, the government's ongoing dialogues and instances of cooperation with ethnic armed organizations mark encouraging steps toward peace and stability. Nevertheless, as military tensions remain high with groups such as the KIA and AA, numerous challenges persist on the path toward achieving genuine, sustainable, and comprehensive peace in Myanmar. Therefore, it will be necessary to continue monitoring the outcomes and the varying degrees of success of the peace-building process during the current government's term. –
