Questions hang over Myanmar's landmark cease-fire accord

15 October 2015

Nikkei Asian Review - Myanmar's president and senior military and government officials have signed a landmark cease-fire accord with eight armed organizations, some of which have been engaged in armed conflict with the state for more than half a century.

Tom Kramer, a researcher on Myanmar's ethnic conflicts for the Netherlands-based Transnational Institute, warned that aid available only to signatory groups "would further perpetuate division in a country that has long needed inclusion and national peace-building."

The timing of the signing, just ahead of the election, would also raise concerns, Kramer added. "Excluding some groups is a high-risk game that may have very negative consequences for efforts to achieve national reconciliation and peace," he said. "The international community should ensure not to support such divisions but work towards inclusion."

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Ethnic Conflict in Myanmar