Former U.N. chief says Myanmar Army must take first step to end violence

Former U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon called for an end to violence in Myanmar, a country that has been in crisis since the military ousted an elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021

Former U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon on April 25 called for an end to violence in Myanmar after meeting the leader of its ruling military, which he said "must take the first steps".

Mr. Ban met junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and a reformist ex-president, Thein Sein, this week in what was seen as a peacemaking mission to the strife-torn country.

Myanmar has been in crisis since the military ousted an elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, with the generals struggling to consolidate power and fighting on multiple fronts against ethnic minority insurgents and an armed pro-democracy movement.

"I came to Myanmar to urge the military to adopt an immediate cessation of violence, and start constructive dialogue among all parties concerned," Mr. Ban said in a statement issued by "The Elders", a group of former global leaders of which he is deputy chair.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that Mr. Ban and Min Aung Hlaing "exchanged views on the latest progress of Myanmar and cordially discussed it with constructive attitudes".

The surprise visit on Sunday was at the invitation of the military and Mr. Ban, who is South Korean, urged the generals to act on a peace consensus agreed in 2021 with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Mr. Ban "warned that ... holding elections under current conditions risks further violence and division, and the results not being recognised by the people of Myanmar, ASEAN and the wider international community".