Northern Alliance declares they are ready for a ceasefire if Tatmadaw willing

21 September 2019
Northern Alliance declares they are ready for a ceasefire if Tatmadaw willing
Taaung National Liberation Army (TNLA), a Palaung ethnic armed group, standing guard outside a village in Mantong township, in Myanmar's northern Shan state. Photo: Ye Aung Thu/AFP

Three northern alliance organizations (TNLA, AA and MNDAA) announced on September 20 that they were ready for a ceasefire if the Tatmadaw is willing to jointly observe it.

This was mentioned in their statement released on September 20 declaring a unilateral ceasefire until the end of this year.

They said in this statement that they would observe a ceasefire unilaterally until the end of this year to reduce fighting and to conduct peace negotiations effectively for signing a bilateral ceasefire agreement.

Regarding this unilateral ceasefire announcement made by three organizations in the northern alliance, spokesman of Arakan Army (AA) Khaing Thu Kha said, “We continue our work primarily in building confidence among all parties during the ongoing negotiations. The fighting on the ground is continuing despite our unilateral ceasefire announcement as the government troops are continuing their offensives against us instead of stopping them. There are many probabilities for ceasing fighting if the Tatmadaw can stop their offensives against us.”