Myanmar has reached a cease-fire deal with one of the war-torn country's major ethnic guerrilla groups, a mediator said Saturday, in the latest sign the new army-backed regime is reaching out to its opponents. The pact was signed Friday by representatives of the Shan State Army South and the local government in the north-eastern state, Hla Maung Shwe, founder of the civil society group Myanmar Egress, who witnessed the agreement, told AFP.
The was no immediate confirmation from the Myanmar government or the Shan State Army, but the Irrawaddy news website, run by journalists in exile, said the agreement in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi also included government assurances of economic development and joint efforts against drugs. It said the next step would be negotiations with the central government.
The country formerly known as Burma has made a series of reformist moves in the past year - releasing democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, holding dialogue with the opposition and freeing some political prisoners. Elections last year brought a nominally civilian government to power, but it retains close links with the army. Civil war has wracked parts of the country since its independence in 1948, and an end to the conflicts, as well as alleged human rights abuses involving government troops, is a key demand of the international community. The Shan State Army South has been one of the biggest rebel forces still battling the government, with thousands of guerrilla fighters mostly stationed near the border with Thailand.