SCEF holds first formal talks with Arakan Army; Myanmar diaspora to block regime bid for seat at UN

The Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF)–Myanmar’s premier resistance coalition—announced on Sunday that it held formal talks with one of the country’s most powerful ethnic armed groups, the Arakan Army (AA), and its leader Commander-in-Chief Twan Mrat Naing, on July 23. This marks the first publicly disclosed formal meeting between the SCEF and the AA. “At a time when the military is attempting to launch offensives across the country using local militias, it is important for revolutionary forces to unite,” a political analyst in Arakan State told DVB on condition of anonymity. Members of the diaspora from Burma in the U.S. told DVB that “Retain Our U.N. Ambassador, H.E. U Kyaw Moe Tun for Myanmar” will be the name of the campaign to ensure that Kyaw Moe Tun retains his seat as Burma’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. at the upcoming 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) in September, but it awaits approval from other global pro-democracy groups on Aug. 1. Khin Thiri Nandar Soe, a prominent pro-democracy activist in the U.S., told DVB that organizers will take the campaign to cities across the country to stop a representative of the regime in Naypyidaw from replacing Kyaw Moe Tun at the U.N. She added that rallies will begin in August and end in September, culminating in a final “Day of Action” outside the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 19. The nine-member U.N. Credentials Committee will decide whether Kyaw Moe Tun will maintain his post or be replaced at the UNGA, scheduled Sept. 8–22. Kyaw Moe Tun, a critic of the regime since the 2021 coup, was appointed as Permanent Representative to the U.N. in October 2020 under the National League for Democracy (NLD) administration before it was ousted in the 2021 coup. Sources close to the regime-controlled South Okkalapa Township Court in Yangon Region told DVB that Saw Naing, an ousted lawmaker from the NLD party, was convicted under Section 505-A of the Penal Code for “incitement” and sentenced to three years in prison on Friday. A source close to the court told DVB on the condition of anonymity that Saw Naing and his wife were arrested by police after donating food to Buddhist monks and sharing photos of the alms to social media with a statement calling for the release of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on her 81st birthday on June 19. Saw Naing’s wife was later released, according to the source. KACHIN—Residents of Putao District told DVB that four military trucks carrying regime troops, and two vehicles containing ammunition and food, arrived in Khaunglanphu town on July 17. This is part of a military counteroffensive against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Khaunglanphu, which resumed on July 10. A resident of Khaunglanphu told DVB on the condition of anonymity that there has been occasional gunfire. The counteroffensive to retake outposts near Khaunglanphu began in September 2025 after the KIA seized Lanse and Lahisin villages in 2024. Khaunglanphu is located in northern Kachin along the Burma-China border. MAGWAY—Over 100 homes and an unknown number of historical buildings were destroyed during arson attacks carried out by a military column in Pakhannge village, also known as tiny Bagan village, in Chauk Township, on Saturday. Chauk is located 71 miles (114 km) north of the region’s capital Magway. MANDALAY—Three civilians were killed by unknown armed men in Meiktila and Nyaung-U townships on Friday, residents told DVB. Neither regime nor resistance forces have claimed responsibility for the murders. Meiktila and Nyaung-U are located 86-111 miles (138-178 km) south of Mandalay. Two of the three killed were identified as a regime administration official and his brother, a Meiktila resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The third man killed was reportedly a military informant who identified local pro-democracy supporters, a Nyaung-U resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The post SCEF holds first formal talks with Arakan Army; Myanmar diaspora to block regime bid for seat at UN appeared first on DVB.