Myanmar’s junta and ethnic Karen rebels called a halt to five decades of fighting in peace talks last week after both sides realised they could no longer afford to continue their brutal conflict. One of the world’s longest-running insurgencies has come to a pause with a ceasefire between the military government and the Karen National Union (KNU), until now the biggest ethnic army still resisting Yangon’s rule. The ceasefire is a rare prize for the junta, the most significant deal it has reached with Myanmar’s restive ethnic minorities in 15 years, and coming at a critical time for the political future of the military-ruled country. Full Story