Myanmar rebel groups agree on peace plan
Burma’s Rebel Leaders Want Army Chief Involved in Peace Talks
Help Myanmar’s peace talks to transform Asia
An end to the longest-running war in the world is within reach. The peace process in Myanmar is at a pivotal stage. If successful, the prospect of further democratic reform will be strengthened and the door to the country’s economic potential unlocked.
Fighting in what was then Burma began after independence from Britain in 1948 and has continued ever since.
Today, there are no fewer than 17 major ethnic-based armed organisations holding sway over remote and mountainous frontier regions, the biggest of which, the United Wa State Army (with an estimated 30,000 troops), is one of the most powerful non-state armies anywhere in the world.
Over the past two years, the government and the ethnic armies have agreed to no fewer than 16 bilateral ceasefires. Although clashes continue, with the talks has come progress – the level of fighting in Myanmar is now at its lowest in 65 years, a testament to the political will on all sides to remove the gun from politics for good.
The process so far has been entirely homegrown. Maximum support from the international community in the coming weeks will be essential. Global leaders simply voicing their strongest backing for the process will be immensely valuable. All parties in Myanmar need to understand that the world is watching. Financial assistance is required urgently for the process itself and, for example, to help with demining. Perhaps most importantly, the outside world needs to help create not only the national but also the local institutions needed to attract and manage new businesses, create jobs and transform the old battlefields into centres of sustainable development.
Some people can go their whole lives and never really live for a single minute.
