A government peace delegation will allegedly meet with the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), also known as the Mongla group, within the week, according to an official.
The meeting was brokered by China, according to a peace advocate who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“They said [the date is] November 10. They will meet to discuss development topics because if they were to meet to discuss peace it would have to go through the Northern Alliance,” the advocate said, referring to the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC).
The FPNCC is a coalition of ethnic armed organizations led by the UWSA. The umbrella group has insisted on meeting with the government collectively to ensure strength in unity. They’ve also jettisoned the nationwide ceasefire agreement and insisted they will find an alternative route to peace.
While the FPNCC has been gaining members since it was formed early this year, the coalition appears to have hit a stumbling bloc in negotiations with the government as they will not meet individually, and the government will only talk one-on-one.
The peace advocate said in the meeting this week the government negotiators expect to speak first with the UWSA and then with the NDAA.
The FPNCC is composed of seven ethnic armed organizations from northern Myanmar: the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the NDAA, the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the UWSA, the Arakan Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
