Myanmar’s military junta, known as the State Administration Council (SAC), has urged its opponents to lay down their arms and engage in political dialogue. This offer, however, has been swiftly rejected by both armed ethnic groups and the civilian resistance forces, Al Jazeera reports.
The SAC, which seized power in a coup in February 2021, has been facing mounting pressure from a growing insurgency. Since October of last year, a coalition of ethnic armed groups and the People’s Defence Forces (PDF) have launched major offensives, taking control of large swaths of the country and putting the military on the defensive.
“Ethnic armed organizations and PDF terrorists fighting against the State are invited to contact the State to resolve the political issues through party politics or electoral processes,” the SAC said in a statement, published in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.
The offer was met with immediate dismissal from the National Unity Government (NUG), a body formed by elected lawmakers who were removed in the coup. NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt told Reuters that the offer “was not worth considering.”
The NUG, which established the PDF to resist the military crackdown on civilian protests, has accused the junta of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a monitoring group, reports that the military has killed at least 5,706 people and detained nearly 21,000 since the coup.
The junta has claimed that the 2020 election, which saw Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) returned to power, was fraudulent. They have promised to hold new elections, citing the upcoming census as a step towards ensuring accurate voter lists. However, no date for the polls has been set.
The military has already introduced new election laws that exclude the NLD and numerous other parties, raising concerns that the elections would be a sham. Aung San Suu Kyi remains imprisoned on charges widely viewed as politically motivated, with a total sentence of 27 years.
Civil society groups have expressed skepticism about the junta’s motives.
“Let’s be clear: The junta is teetering on the brink of collapse,” stated Progressive Voice, a human rights organization. “This sham election is nothing more than a desperate ploy for false legitimacy and hoax democracy.”
The offer for talks comes as the junta seeks to legitimize its rule amidst mounting international pressure and a relentless insurgency.
