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A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 28 September 2024
Myanmar’s opposition rejects a military appeal for talks on a

political solution to armed conflict

By GRANT PECK ed battlefield defeats from
Associated Press powerful ethnic militias,
BANGKOK (AP) — The main especially in the northeast
group coordinating op- along the border with Chi-
position to military rule in na and in the western state
Myanmar rejected on Fri- of Rakhine.
day a surprise offer from The army is currently on
the ruling generals to hold the defensive against eth-
talks on a political solution nic militias in much of the
to the country’s nationwide country that are seeking
armed conflict. autonomy, as well as hun-
Nay Phone Latt, a spokes- dreds of armed guerrilla
person for the opposition’s groups collectively called
shadow National Unity People’s Defense Forces,
Government, told The As- formed to fight to restore
sociated Press that a joint democracy after the army
statement issued earlier this takeover. The opposition’s
year by opposition groups political road map earlier
has already paved the way this year offering talks was
for a negotiated political signed by the National Uni-
solution if the army agrees Saw Win Myint, a commander of a military unit under the Karen National Union, the leading ty Government and three
to its conditions. political body for the Karen ethnic minority that is part of the resistance against military rule in major ethnic armed orga-
Padoh Saw Kalae Say, a Myanmar, inspects the damaged armory in the captured army base of Infantry Battalion 275 in nizations the Chin National
spokesperson of the Karen Myawaddy township in Kayin state, Myanmar, on April 12, 2024. Front, the Karenni National
National Union, which rep- Associated Press Progressive Party and the
resents the Karen ethnic is no need to think about to resolve the political is- though it would be difficult Karen National Union, all
minority, said it also will not this,” Padoh Saw Kalae Say sues through party poli- to organize while the coun- of which are engaged in
accept the military’s offer. told the AP. tics or electoral processes try is at war, and critics see active combat against the
The KNU has been fighting The military’s brief “Offer to in order to be able to join no way for the polls to be military government.
on and off for greater au- resolve political issues in po- hands with the people to free and fair. The ruling mili- That statement’s objectives
tonomy since Myanmar, litical means,” dated Thurs- emphasize durable peace tary originally announced include terminating the mil-
then called Burma, won in- day and published Friday and development by dis- that elections would be itary’s involvement in poli-
dependence from Britain in in the Global New Light of carding the armed terrorist held in August 2023, but tics, placing all armed forc-
1948. Myanmar and other state- way.” has repeatedly pushed es under the command of
“What we see is that their run newspapers, was its The offer came five days back the date. an elected civilian govern-
inviting offers are the ideas most direct offer of peace before the military govern- The military’s offer, which ment, promulgating a new
from more than 70 years talks since it seized power ment launches a national defended its 2021 takeover constitution embodying
ago. We won’t accept and from the elected govern- census to compile voter lists and blamed the country’s federalism and democratic
discuss it, and looking back ment of Aung San Suu Kyi in for a general election ex- subsequent turmoil on its values, establishing a new
at the statements we have February 2021. pected next year. An elec- opponents, came after the federal democratic union
repeatedly expressed, I It said its opponents are in- tion is seen as a way for the army over the past year and instituting a system of
would like to say that there vited “to contact the State military to legitimize its rule, has suffered unprecedent- transitional justice.q

Rwanda’s army and an armed group shelled displaced people

camps in Congo, rights group says

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE while, has put displaced camps, the report said. and obstructed aid, it said. offensive in 2012 and took
AND WILSON MCMAKIN people at increased risk by Both sides have killed camp Eastern Congo has strug- over the provincial capital
Associated Press deploying artillery near the residents, committed rapes gled with armed violence of Goma near the border
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — as more than 120 armed with Rwanda, the same
Rwanda’s army and a mi- groups fight for power, city they are threatening
litia it backs shelled camps land and valuable mineral again.
for displaced people in resources while others try to Congo alleges that Rwan-
eastern Congo, Human defend their communities. dan forces have been in-
Rights Watch said. It also Some armed groups have volved in aggression and
accused Congo of abuses been accused of mass kill- war crimes in the east and
against civilians. ings, rapes and other hu- U.S. and U.N. experts ac-
A report by the group re- man rights violations. The cuse it of giving military
leased Thursday said that violence has displaced backing to M23. Rwanda
since the beginning of some 6 million people in denies the claim, but in
the year, Rwanda’s army the east. February admitted that it
and the M23 rebel armed The March 23 Movement, has troops and missile sys-
group, which it supports, or M23, is a rebel military tems in eastern Congo
have “indiscriminately” group mainly made up to safeguard its security,
shelled camps in eastern of ethnic Tutsis that broke pointing to a buildup of
Congo where tens of thou- M23 rebels stand with their weapons in Kibumba, in the eastern away from the Congolese Congolese forces near the
sands of people are shelter- of Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 23, 2022. army just over a decade border.q
ing. Congo’s army, mean- Associated Press ago. They staged a large