Fresh unrest in Kachin state puts Myanmar ceasefire at risk

YANGON, Jan 19 (AFP): Myanmar's army chief said peace in the war-ravaged nation is in the hands of ethnic rebels, in an interview broadcast Monday, as a fresh surge in unrest in northern Kachin state casts doubt over ceasefire efforts.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said peace was the "only path" if the country is to continue its democratisation and development, in a rare interview with Singapore's Channel NewsAsia.
"Do they really want peace? If they really want peace, there is no reason that they cannot have it," he said, referring to the country's many ethnic minority armed groups who have fought for greater autonomy for decades.
"We cannot keep disagreeing. Disagreeing hinders the country's development," added the army chief, whose troops have engaged in sporadic heavy fighting with rebels from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), despite ongoing efforts to reach a nationwide ceasefire.
Tensions in Kachin, where a 17-year ceasefire between rebels and the government splintered in 2011, have overshadowed efforts to call an end to the multiple civil wars in Myanmar's ethnic minority borderlands that have blighted the country for more than half a century.
Reaching a nationwide ceasefire deal with some 16 rebel groups is seen as a cornerstone of reforms by Myanmar's quasi-civilian government, which replaced outright junta rule in 2011.
But while the government has pinned its hopes on reaching an agreement within weeks, the peace process continues to stumble on decades-old mistrust and the Kachin conflict.