Myanmar regime leader Min Aung Hlaing, who was inaugurated as president by a pro-military parliament on April 10, claimed during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that his administration aims to achieve “perpetual peace” in the country within five years.
According to Min Aung Hlaing, his new administration—led by the military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)—is currently holding “ground-level” talks with unnamed ethnic armed organizations.
However, analysts and rights advocates remain highly skeptical of these peace overtures. Richard Horsey, the senior advisor on Myanmar at the International Crisis Group (ICG), told DVB in March that Min Aung Hlaing’s true objective is for “resistance forces, including the National Unity Government (NUG), to surrender.”
Horsey emphasized that the NUG—established by ethnic nationality leaders and ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers following the 2021 military coup—will refuse to discuss peace with the military without explicit preconditions guaranteeing a genuine dialogue toward true federalism.
Federalism based on territory, not ethnicity
During the meeting, Min Aung Hlaing also asserted that his administration would establish a federal democratic union by “granting” federalism based on territory rather than ethnicity.
Khin Ohmar, a prominent human rights activist and founder of the Progressive Voice civil society organization, strongly criticized the statement.
She told DVB that Min Aung Hlaing is deliberately attempting to portray the military as the sole provider of ethnic rights, rather than acknowledging and respecting the inherent, equal rights of the country’s ethnic nationalities.
Rejections from resistance forces
The regime leader previously announced on April 20 that he aimed to hold peace talks with opposition armed groups by the end of July, framing the initiative around the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
This offer, however, was swiftly rejected by major ethnic armed organizations, including the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Chin National Front (CNF), both of which are currently engaged in intense fighting against regime forces.
- The KNU: The group’s armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), is actively battling the military in Karen State’s Hpapun and Kawkareik townships, as well as the Tanintharyi Region’s Myeik District. The military recently dealt a blow to the KNU by retaking the strategic Myanmar-Thailand border trade town of Mawtaung on May 19, which the KNU had held since November 2025.
- The CNF: According to CNF spokesperson Salai Htet Ni, Chin resistance forces are currently attempting to fend off a massive regime counteroffensive in southern Chin State involving a 6,000-troop strong military column.
Peace overtures amid airstrikes
The Arakan Army (AA) also dismissed the junta’s diplomatic push. In a recent interview with The Diplomat, AA Chief Commander Twan Mrat Naing stated that it would be impossible to engage in Min Aung Hlaing’s political process as long as the Myanmar Air Force continues to bomb civilians in AA-controlled territories across Arakan and Chin states.
The reality on the ground starkly contradicts the regime’s peace rhetoric. According to DVB data, since Min Aung Hlaing’s inauguration on April 10, at least 147 people have been killed and 291 injured in 307 separate aerial attacks carried out by regime forces nationwide.
These attacks have utilized fighter jets, gyrocopters, motorized paragliders, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones.
