STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Aung San Suu Kyi's party says it will put at least 23 candidates in upcoming elections
- The announcement Thursday is an apparent bid to resolve decades-long conflict
- Myanmar has historically blamed the KNU for waging attacks to destabilize the military junta
The Myanmar government signed a cease-fire deal with a rebel group Thursday, the same day Aung San Suu Kyi's party said it will join the upcoming elections.
Information Minister Soe Win said the government has signed a peace deal with the Karen National Liberation Army.
The Karen National Liberation Army, which has long sought autonomy for the Karen ethnic minority, is now permitted to travel throughout the country without weapons, a separate government official said.
The move is in an apparent bid to resolve a conflict that has brewed for more than six decades.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has historically blamed the rebel group for waging attacks to destabilize the current military junta.
The group operates in the border area of the country, trying to establish autonomy for the Karen ethnic minority.
Thursday's announcement coincides with a meeting between U.S. diplomats and Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a nobel prize winner and leading democracy activist within the country.
The U.S. delegation arrived in the country Monday and has since met with top government officials.
Also on Thursday, Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy announced that it will join Myanmar's parliamentary by-elections in April. The party will announce a roster of 23 candidates, including Suu Kyi.
Military juntas have ruled the Southeast Asian nation since 1962, though analysts suggest that its generals have started to loosen their grip after coming under criticism for their human rights record.
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