This week, rebel groups reject Myanmar junta’s call to peace talks. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government and rebels agree on aid delivery and prisoner releases. South Sudan plans elections in December as country verges on civil war.
Rebel Groups Reject Myanmar Junta’s Call to Peace Talks
On April 21, the leader of Myanmar’s junta, president Min Aung Hlaing, set a deadline of 100 days for rebel groups to join peace talks. However, two key rebel groups rejected the talks.
Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the National Unity Government, Myanmar’s main opposition group, said, “We all already understood that the military’s fake invitations are aimed at prolonging people’s subjugation under military rule.”
This development comes after, from December 2025 to January 2026, the junta held an election that was widely labeled as a sham, in which the junta emerged victorious.
Several ethnic groups in Myanmar are fighting for autonomy, and the country has a total of 21 armed ethnic organizations. Ten of these groups signed multilateral ceasefire agreements known as Nationwide Ceasefire Agreements or NCA, in 2015 and 2018 under previous governments. However, since the junta took over the country in a coup in February 2021, four of the groups that signed the agreement have resumed fighting.
Saw Taw Nee, another spokesperson for the KNU, said the group has “no plans to return to negotiations or follow the NCA path.”
DRC Government and Rebels Agree on Aid Delivery and Prisoner Releases
On April 18, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and M23 rebels issued a joint statement agreeing to ease humanitarian aid deliveries and release prisoners within 10 days as part of efforts “to continue building confidence.”
The two parties also signed a memorandum of understanding for a ceasefire monitoring mechanism that will “begin conducting surveillance, monitoring, verification, and reporting on the implementation of the permanent ceasefire between the parties.”
The DRC has been grappling with numerous armed conflicts since the 1990s.Since 2021, the M23 armed group, backed by Rwanda, has seized territory in eastern DRC, capturing the city of Goma in January 2025. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa said in February 2025 that at least 7,000 people had been killed in fighting since January of that year. Nearly 7 million people have been displaced across the country due to decades of conflict, largely living in dire conditions.
South Sudan Plans Elections in December as Country Verges on Civil War
South Sudan plans to hold elections in December, 2026, as the country verges on a civil war. The country’s information minister insisted that elections must be held this year, africanews reported.
If the elections are held, they will mark the first national polls since the country gained independence from Sudan 15 years ago.
South Sudan’s conflict is between the military, which is loyal to Kiir, and insurgents believed to be allied with the suspended vice-president Riek Machar. Fighting between government and opposition forces continues to kill and injure civilians in several states, with 169 people killed and 4,000 displaced in the Abiemnhom area of Unity state on March 1.
On March 17, UNICEF said around 100,000 South Sudanese people had fled to Ethiopia in Jonglei state.
Keywords: Myanmar, DRC, Congo, South Sudan, peace talks, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, civil war, elections, junta
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
