Govt signs deal with eight armed groups

President sees cease-fire agreement as key part of his reformist agenda after taking power in 2011

Myanmar's government and eight armed ethnic groups signed a cease-fire agreement on Thursday, the culmination of more than two years of negotiations aimed at bringing an end to the majority of the country's long-running conflicts.

The deal fell short of its nationwide billing, with seven of the 15 armed groups invited declining to sign due to disagreements over who the process should include and ongoing distrust of Myanmar's government and its military.