From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)
Philipp von Brandenstein, Head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall, explains how Eurosatory 2026 marked a new stage in the company's evolution.
Myanmar Army blames ethnic groups for stalled peace talks
Myanmar military officials on 11 July said stalled peace talks were ‘drowning’ the country, blaming ethnic armed groups for the fighting that continues to rage in the country’s northern borderlands.
Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said that making peace is a top priority for her administration, but she shares power with the military, which has fought ethnic insurgencies for decades.
At the start of a third round of Suu Kyi-led peace talks in the capital Naypyidaw on 11 July, Myanmar’s Commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing suggested ethnic groups were responsible for the stalled peace process that he said was ‘drowning our country.’
Hlaing said: ‘I would like to urge you to wipe out the civil armed conflicts that hinder the development of the country.’
Defence Minister Sein Win told AFP that ethnic militias were not doing enough to staunch ongoing conflict, saying they ‘need to control their people.’
Win said: ‘If their people have no discipline, problems can happen.’
The six-day peace talks are an attempt by Suu Kyi, who came to power in 2016 after landslide elections, to bring more ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord.
Ten groups are now signed up but at least seven, including some of the largest and most influential, are holding out, with Suu Kyi saying on 11 July that they were ‘always welcome’ to join.
Progress has been hampered by continued clashes between the powerful military and armed insurgents fighting for more autonomy in northern Kachin and Shan States.
The grinding conflicts play out away from the more prominent global headlines generated by violence in the country’s west, where the army has driven out some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims since August 2017.
More than a third of Myanmar’s townships are affected by unresolved conflict, according to a 2017 report from the Asia Foundation.
Some of the fiercest clashes are happening in Myanmar’s northernmost Kachin State, where more than 100,000 people have been displaced by violence.
Kachin Independence Army General Gunmaw told reporters as he arrived at his hotel on 10 July that one of the aims of the conference was to restore basic communication channels with the government.
Gunmaw said: ‘We hope fighting will be decreased.’
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)]()
-
![US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system]()
US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system
The US Department of Defense has requested new contracting authorities from Congress, using the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne programme to demonstrate how competition, digital engineering and closer industry collaboration could accelerate acquisitions.
-
![US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule]()
US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule
The US government plans to accelerate production even further after achieving key B61-13 milestones months ahead of schedule, as the programme advances amid growing US-China strategic competition.
-
![Canada’s C$2 billion ACSV deal reinforces new defence industrial strategy as allies align]()
Canada’s C$2 billion ACSV deal reinforces new defence industrial strategy as allies align
General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is the country’s first strategic partner under the Defence Industrial Strategy’s Strategic Partnership Framework, an effort to provide companies with confidence to invest and boost the defence labour force.
-
![New UK armed forces minister frames High North defence as vital to “homeland security”]()
New UK armed forces minister frames High North defence as vital to “homeland security”
The UK’s Minister for the Armed Forces Louise Sandher-Jones made her first appearance in the role before the House of Commons Defence Committee this week to highlight efforts to improve capability in the High North.
-
![Canada seeks to strengthen industrial ties with the US on classified programmes]()
Canada seeks to strengthen industrial ties with the US on classified programmes
Ottawa explores expanding defence-industrial cooperation with Washington into sensitive programmes, an approach that could reshape NORAD modernisation, strengthen North American supply chains and create new opportunities for defence contractors.
