Interim government's ceasefire measures lack political substance and aim to consolidate military rule, says ISP

The ceasefire measures of the interim government under the military junta, following the coup, lack political substance and are aimed at dictatorial conflict management, division of anti-regime forces, and consolidation of military rule, according to an analysis by the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar). In its paper titled "Analysis of Ceasefires with Individual Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) – The Fragmented Peace Process of Myanmar," ISP-Myanmar pointed out that the interim government has formulated and implemented a strategy to achieve individual ceasefires with selected EAOs. "It has been observed that these measures lack political substance and are aimed at dictatorial conflict management, the division of anti-regime groups, and the consolidation of military rule," the ISP-Myanmar paper stated. Furthermore, it warned that if the ceasefire framework is not fundamentally reformed, the country could fall deeper into a vicious cycle of military-led dictatorship, facing the risk of losing opportunities for national reconciliation and a democratic system. ISP-Myanmar analyzed the changes in the ceasefire landscape in Myanmar over the past five years, from the 2021 coup to March 2026, and pointed out that the interim government has systematically deviated from the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) framework. It stated that the interim government's measures do not involve all stakeholders, and therefore cannot be considered a transition towards a federal democratic union, but are merely being used as a weapon rather than promoting peacebuilding. Currently, the interim government's invitation for peace through a 100-day plan has been met with responses from revolutionary forces and military and political observers, calling it an act of "adding fuel to the fire." As the military junta continues aerial bombings and military offensives, resistance forces are also continuing their fight. Due to such acts of violence, the interim government has not been officially recognized by most countries worldwide, including the United Nations, ASEAN, the European Union (EU), and the United States, and has been subjected to sanctions. On the other hand, it is also reported that there have been meetings between the interim government and some of the Northern Alliance groups, partly due to pressure from the Chinese government, as well as some NCA-signatory EAOs that are engaging with the regime without resisting the coup. Photo – MOI