Three of the armed ethnic militias in the Northern Alliance (NA) have announced a one-month, unilateral ceasefire in northern Shan State as negotiations with the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) continue.

The ceasefire was announced by The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army (AA) and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). It is meant as a show of support for ongoing negotiations between NA and the Myanmar army. TNLA Brigadier General Tar Phone Kyaw told The Irrawaddy. “In order to facilitate the peace negotiations, we have declared a one-month ceasefire…We will try to build trust with them for one month as a trial period,” he said.

The Myanmar military has already announced its own unilateral ceasefire, which it has extended until September 21, although some Northern Alliance members have claimed Tatmadaw forces have violated it multiple times. The new move by the three factions could be a strong step towards an eventual end to the surge in violence. It has racked northern Myanmar for nearly a month. Peace negotiations are scheduled to resume on September 16th, although a location has not been selected.

Fighting has taken a toll on border trade with China, especially at Muse, a major trade outpost. This has prompted Chinese diplomats to talk to both sides and push for an end to the fighting. Domestically, outbreaks of violence have occurred around some of the country’s most-visited attractions. 57 foreign tourists were airlifted from the town of Hsipaw. Worse yet, economists and investors, speaking with The Myanmar Times, expressed serious concerns about the future of the Muse-Mandalay Railroad, the USD 8.9 billion railway project that will connect Mandalay to the Chinese border. For the Myanmar economy, peace in the north cannot come soon enough.