Junta talking with rebels

The head of Myanmar’s military government has held the first in a month-long series of peace talks he initiated with the country’s historically restive ethnic minority groups. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s meetings in the capital, Naypyitaw, with the leaders of the ethnic armed organisations are their first faceto-face peace talks since the military seized power in February last year from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Massive opposition to the army’s takeover has evolved into what some have called a civil war. New armed rebel groups opposed to the takeover have allied themselves with some of the major ethnic minority guerrilla organisations, stretching the military’s resources. The opposition National Unity Government and its armed affiliates have received critical support from the ethnic guerrilla groups.