UN envoy to visit Myanmar amid stalled talks

Gambari

Yangon – The United Nations is sending its special envoy Ibrahim Gambari back to Myanmar next week in a renewed attempt to revive dialogue between the military junta and detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Gambari, a Nigerian diplomat, is scheduled to meet senior government officials, Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political groups during his four‑day mission from 31 January to 3 February, according to the Foreign Ministry.

It remains unclear whether he will be granted an audience with junta leader Senior General Than Shwe or Suu Kyi herself, who has been under house arrest for most of the past five years. Both refused to meet him during his last visit, fuelling scepticism about the chances of progress.

“If he doesn’t get a chance to meet the Senior General and Aung San Suu Kyi, we can’t expect anything out of his visit. Frankly, it’s almost in vain,” said one Yangon‑based Asian diplomat.

The envoy has made repeated trips to Myanmar, but with little to show for his efforts. His mission is to persuade the generals to include Suu Kyi and her party in their political roadmap, a seven‑step plan leading to elections in 2010. Analysts argue that the junta’s rigid adherence to this plan, alongside the drafting of a new constitution, has left Gambari’s role increasingly marginal.

The NLD, which won a landslide election in 1990 only to be denied power by the military, expressed cautious welcome but little optimism. “We do welcome him again, but we are not sure whether this visit will be fruitful,” spokesman Nyan Win said.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate, has grown visibly frustrated with the lack of meaningful dialogue. Last August, Gambari failed twice to meet her, prompting speculation she had lost patience with the process.

For Myanmar’s opposition, the envoy’s visit is another chance to press for inclusion in the country’s political future. For the generals, it is an opportunity to show engagement without necessarily conceding ground.

With expectations low, Gambari’s mission may serve more as a symbolic reminder of international concern than a genuine breakthrough.

-2026-05-08