Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement

Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement
Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Ethnic Armed Organisations
Drafted31 March 2015 (2015-03-31)
Signed15 October 2015 (2015-10-15)
LocationNay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
Signatories
DepositaryGovernment of Myanmar
LanguagesEnglish, Burmese

The Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), officially the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Ethnic Armed Organisations (Burmese: တစ်နိုင်ငံလုံး ပစ်ခတ်တိုက်ခိုက်မှု ရပ်စဲရေးသဘောတူစာချုပ်), was a landmark ceasefire agreement between the government of Myanmar and representatives of various ethnic insurgent groups, officially known as "ethnic armed organisations" (EAOs) by the government. The draft was agreed upon by a majority of the invited parties on 31 March 2015,[1] and the agreement was signed by President Thein Sein on 15 October 2015.[2] The signing was witnessed by observers and delegates from the United Nations, the United Kingdom, Norway, Japan and the United States.[3][4] A ceremony is held by the government annually on the anniversary of the signing of the agreement.[5][6]

The government of Myanmar originally sent invitations to 15 different ethnic insurgent groups, inviting them to participate in long-term peace negotiations. However, seven of those invited declined or dropped out during negotiations due to perceived unfairness.[7]

The Lahu Democratic Union and the New Mon State Party later joined the ceasefire[8] and signed the agreement on 13 February 2018.[9][10][11][12]

Following the 1 February 2021 coup d'état, the Tatmadaw violated the ceasefire agreement by attacking the Restoration Council of Shan State's camps in Shanin Hsipaw Township.[13] Since this violation, the majority of signatories to the agreement have left, including the ABSDF, CNF, KNU, RCSS, PNLA, and (most recently) a splinter group of the New Mon State Party known as the NMSP (Anti-Military Dictatorship).

  1. ^ "Myanmar's Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement - Institute for Security and Development Policy". Institute for Security and Development Policy. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Myanmar signs ceasefire with eight armed groups". Reuters. 14 October 2015. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  3. ^ "Asia Unbound » Myanmar's Cease-Fire Deal Comes up Short". Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  4. ^ Ray Pagnucco and Jennifer Peters (15 October 2015). "Myanmar's National Ceasefire Agreement isn't all that national". Vice News. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  5. ^ Thiha, Amara. "On the second anniversary of the NCA, is Myanmar keeping peace on track?". Frontier Myanmar. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement is a Forlorn Hope". The Irrawaddy. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Myanmar Signs Historic Cease-Fire Deal With Eight Ethnic Armies". Radio Free Asia. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  8. ^ Zaw Lin, Nyein; Min Mang, Lun (24 January 2018). "New Mon State Party, Lahu Democratic Union to sign ceasefire". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  9. ^ "2 groups join Myanmar government's peace process". AP News. 13 February 2018. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  10. ^ "New Mon State Party and Lahu Democratic Union sign NCA". Office of the President of Myanmar. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Analysis: A Win for Peace Commission as Mon, Lahu Groups Sign NCA". The Irrawaddy. 13 February 2018. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  12. ^ "NCA signing ceremony for NMSP, LDU to take place on 13 Feb". Mizzima. 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  13. ^ Nom, Nang Seng (12 February 2021). "Burma Army Undermines Peace Agreement, RCSS Says". Shan Herald Agency for News. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2021.