A temporary ceasefire between the military and the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) in Mindat was extended, with expectations that negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire will continue.
A CDF representative said the civilian group won’t fight with the military during the 14-day ceasefire but that more discussions are necessary to maintain the fragile peace.
Elders and church leaders from Mindat town helped broker the last ceasefire from June 20 to July 4. A few days later, both sides consented to a 5-point agreement.
The CDF member told Khonumthung News the military violated it by arresting civilians, which it later freed.
The agreement includes no shooting in the streets or downtown Mindat and not to threaten or otherwise disturb government servants, including those who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Other points are to not bother travellers on the Kyauk Htu – Mindat – Matupi road and inform authorities before delivering food to internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps.
For now, the fighting around Mindat town has stopped, prompting nearly a thousand IDPs to return to their homes.
The town in southern Chin State, however, is still less populated than before the military laid siege on it in May, which emptied most of the inhabitants.