Ten of the main rebel factions in Burma will “
reexamine
” the ceasefire agreement signed from 2015 with the army, ulcerated by the bloody repression of the new military regime against civilians.
More than 12,000 displaced people have fled air raids by Burmese generals in recent days, according to one of these groups, the powerful Karen National Union (KNU), which calls on the country's multitude of ethnic minorities to unite against the junta.
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Since Burma's independence in 1948, many ethnic armed factions have been in conflict with the central government for more autonomy, access to numerous natural resources or a share of the lucrative drug trade.
As of 2015, the military had concluded a National Ceasefire Agreement (ANC) with ten of them, including the KNU.
Shortly after the coup d'état, they had indicated that they would continue to apply this agreement, despite the passage in force of the generals.
But since then "
hundreds of civilians, children, adolescents and women have been killed
" by the security forces, Yawd Serk, head of the Shan State Restoration Council, one such group wrote on Saturday. rebels.
Faced with this, the ten factions, which began a two-day meeting on Saturday, will "
re-examine
" their position on the ANC, he added.
The KNU is particularly virulent against the junta.
Responding to the bloodbath of the security forces against opponents of the February 1 coup, it had already seized last week of a military base in the Karen state in the south-east of the country, killing ten soldiers.
The army then responded by carrying out air raids against strongholds of the faction, a first for twenty years in this region.
“
Many civilians died, including minors and students.
Schools, houses and villages were also destroyed
”during these strikes, the KNU noted.
"
We urge all ethnic minorities in the country (which number more than 130, editor's note) to take strong action and take sanctions
" against those responsible.
Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said for his part "to
hope that the majority of KNU members respect the ceasefire
".
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Other armed groups have already provided support for democratic mobilization and threatened to take up arms against the army.
And the UN envoy for Burma, Christine Schraner Burgener, this week warned of an “
unprecedented
” risk
of “
civil war
”.
In the meantime, the generals continue their murderous repression.
More than 550 civilians have been shot by security forces in the past two months, according to the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP).
But the toll could be much heavier: some 2,700 people have been arrested.
Held incommunicado, without access to their loved one or to a lawyer, many are missing.
