A major ethnic rebel group in Myanmar has announced a unilateral ceasefire in its conflict with the ruling military and called for a dialogue under Chinese auspices to help restore peace in the country’s northeast.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it welcomed the initiative. China is the military government’s most important foreign ally.
Myanmar’s military government did not immediately comment.
The announcement Tuesday by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, came a week after its battlefield ally, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, declared its readiness for peace talks with the military government.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army’s 2021 takeover ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, which led to nationwide peaceful protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to civil war.
The MNDAA and TNLA are members of a rebel …