The Arakan Army (AA) cannot achieve peace without coming to the negotiating table, said Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) chairperson Saw Mra Raza Lin, expressing hope that the ethnic armed group would eventually join peace talks with Myanmar’s military.

She made the remarks in an interview with a local media outlet after a ceremony marking the 11th anniversary of Myanmar’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), when asked whether she expected the AA to participate in future peace negotiations.

“Perhaps they will come at some point. I have said before that one day they will come to the negotiating table. No matter how intense the fighting becomes, peace cannot be achieved without dialogue,” she said.

Saw Mra Raza Lin said she believed all parties would eventually have to engage in negotiations to end the conflict, stressing that dialogue remained the way forward to bring an end to the fighting.

“I believe everyone will eventually come to the peace table, regardless of how intense the battles are. That is my view. If the fighting is to end, it must ultimately be resolved through dialogue,” she added.

According to Western News, the ALP has reached a ceasefire agreement with Myanmar’s military, while the AA continues to fight the military across Rakhine State and other parts of the country.

The AA has been engaged in fierce clashes with Myanmar’s military on multiple fronts, including areas beyond the Rakhine Yoma mountain range. The ongoing conflict has further complicated prospects for peace in the region, as the military and various ethnic armed organisations remain divided over political and territorial demands.

BOB Post