Ceasefire deals alone are not enough to achieve lasting peace in Myanmar - report
BANGKOK (AlertNet) – Myanmar’s new government must address the grievances of armed ethnic groups - instead of just reaching ceasefire deals - if it is to achieve lasting peace, the International Crisis Group said in its latest report.
The government should guarantee the country's ethnic groups equal rights and greater autonomy, support socio-economic developments and build trust between the communities, added “Myanmar: A new peace initiative” released on Thursday.
The report, which called the decades-old ethnic armed conflict “probably the single most important issue facing the country”, said a lasting solution to the problem requires going beyond just stopping the fighting.
“Multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious Myanmar can only achieve genuine national unity and reconciliation by embracing its diversity,” it added.
According to the report, President Thein Sein came to power pledging to make the ethnic issue a national priority, offering dialogue with all armed groups and dropping key preconditions for talks “but found these words were not enough”.
“He now needs to follow through on the new peace initiative with actions that convince sceptical ethnic communities that he means what he says.”
The report comes as Hilary Clinton visits Myanmar, the first U.S. secretary of state in half a century to travel to the reclusive country, and word came of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks between the government and ethnic armed groups.
LONG RUNNING AND DEEP SEATED GRIEVANCES
However, rights groups say Myanmar soldiers are committing serious human rights abuses in Kachin state despite reforms by the nominally civilian government which came to power in March.
Fighting broke out between Kachin guerrillas and the army in June after a 17-year-old ceasefire broke down, forcing tens of thousands of refugees across the border with China. Aid agencies say they are in dire need of food and shelter.
The report said this resumption of fighting in Kachin areas “is the most serious threat to peace in Myanmar”.
Myanmar has been at war with its own minorities almost since independence in 1948. While the military junta that came to power in 1988 signed ceasefire agreements with several ethnic armed groups, they did not result in peace or the groups' political participation.
Instead, the failure of promised political talks as well as the junta’s attempts to incorporate ethnic armies into a border guard force resulted in deepening grievances and distrust.
A new, more decisive approach offering the groups more flexible terms including an unprecedented national conference to seek political solutions have convinced some groups to sign peace agreements and others to agree to verbal ceasefires, ICG said.
While the international community has an important role to play, ICG warned the West against using the resolution of this conflict as another benchmark to lift sanctions or improve relations.
“Overcoming decades of conflict and suffering cannot be achieved overnight, even with a sincere commitment to a comprehensive solution,” the report said.
“Ongoing military operations and continued abuses only make it harder to begin such a process, but the government’s new peace initiative goes further than any previous one in seeking to address the underlying political issues.”
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