Myanmar civil war talks window opens

After more than five years of fighting, a rare window for talks over Myanmar's civil war is appearing, driven by a shift on the battlefield where the military has regained ground and mounting regional pressure to engage. The Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF), an umbrella body of ethnic armed organisations and the shadow government, said after a meeting with Thai and Philippine foreign ministers that it is committed to pursuing a political settlement. Myanmar's junta chief turned president Min Aung Hlaing has yet to accept the SCEF as a negotiating partner, but his visit to Thailand highlights wider efforts for a truce. The conflict, sparked by a February 2021 coup that deposed Aung San Suu Kyi's government, has killed over 100,000 people, displaced millions and devastated the economy. The military, supported by allies such as China, has regained ground through conscription and new tactics. Some ethnic armed organisations are under international pressure to negotiate. Thailand has been a key player in pushing for Myanmar's re-engagement with ASEAN. So far, Naypyitaw has not accepted the SCEF as an interlocutor, instead seeking bilateral discussions with individual groups.