Myanmar junta wants peace talks with ethnic rebels

This picture taken on April 15, 2022, shows members of the "Peacock Generation" activist troupe, some of whom are dressed as part of the "People's Defence Forces" (PDF), waving Yangon Student Union flags during a traditional "Thangyat" performance in Kayin state. (Photo: AFP)

Myanmar's junta chief on Friday called for face-to-face peace talks with the country's established ethnic rebel groups, as the military struggles to crush newer anti-junta militias that have sprung up to fight the coup.

Myanmar has about 20 ethnic rebel armies -- many of which control swathes of remote border territory -- that have fought each other and the military for decades over the drug trade, natural resources and autonomy.