Japanese Government Representative Yohei Sasakawa Achieves Humanitarian Cease-Fire Between Myanmar Military and Arakan ArmyAgreement reached to allow humanitarian assistance to Rakhine state

Japan’s Special Envoy for National Reconciliation in Myanmar and The Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa has brokered a cease-fire and reached an agreement between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army ethnic armed group. Mr. Sasakawa visited Myanmar on November 25-27 and met with senior leaders of both Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army to continue brokering a humanitarian cease-fire. He also plans to visit Rakhine state before the end of this year to work out further details.

Mr. Sasakawa was named Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for National Reconciliation in Myanmar by the Japanese Cabinet in February 2013, and has been promoting dialogue toward peace with ethnic armed groups and providing humanitarian assistance in ethnic minority areas.

Comment from Yohei Sasakawa

This is not a military or political agreement, but rather a humanitarian cease-fire, and is very significant because local residents will directly benefit from the fruits of peace. I hope that the results of this dialogue will spread to bring peace to all of Myanmar, which has experienced continued conflict for many years, and I will continue to work toward that end as a representative of the Japanese government.

Background

At the time of Myanmar’s general election held in November 2020, Mr. Sasakawa visited the country as head of a Japanese government election observer mission. Voting was postponed in Rakhine state, however, because of instability in the area where conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army continued.

Mr. Sasakawa expressed concern that representatives from Rakhine would not be able to participate in parliament, and engaged in vigorous dialogue that resulted in a cease-fire to allow a special election to be held in Rakhine on November 12. This led to peace in one of the areas of Myanmar that had seen the most intense conflict. Nevertheless, fighting by both sides has intensified since the summer of 2022, once again forcing local residents to flee.