(Reuters) – An Alliance of ethnic minority armies in northern Myanmar has agreed to a ceasefire with the ruling military, a leader of one of the groups, the TNLA, said on Friday, adding that at the discussions involved an envoy from neighboring China.

The military, which overthrew an elected government in 2021, has been battling rebels fighting to end control of their regions since late October, with intense violence along the northern border with China.

The joint offensive posed the biggest battlefield challenge for the military since the coup and raised concerns in China over the prospect of disruption to border trade and an influx of refugees.

In talks facilitated by Chinese envoy Deng Xi Jin, the Three Brotherhood Alliance agreed to “cease fire without advancing further,” said the TNLA leader, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the talks , to Reuters.

“On the part of the alliance, it is the agreement to refrain from offensive attacks on enemy camps or cities. On the military side, the agreement is not to participate in attacks by means of air strikes, bombings or heavy weapons.”

Myanmar’s junta was not immediately available for confirmation.

The two other groups in the alliance, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA), did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the talks.

(Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Martin Petty)

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