After peace talks between the Philippines and the Communist forces stalled, the two sides ended a month-long ceasefire on Christmas Eve and resumed armed struggle. The Philippine military said on December 25 that at least 10 soldiers and 15 armed members of the Communist Party had been killed in multiple shootouts in three provinces in the southeastern Philippines.
The clashes came after the Communist forces, the New People's Army (NPA), the armed arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), announced a unilateral end to the ceasefire on December 24. Communist forces have accused the Communists of failing to honour their pledge to release more than 500 political prisoners and of not abiding by the terms of the cease-fire agreement. Communist forces also claimed that they were harassed and attacked during the ceasefire.
* countered that it was the communist forces that launched multiple attacks on military and civilian targets during the ceasefire, which led to the breakdown of the cease-fire agreement. They also said they remained willing to continue peaceful dialogue with the communist forces, but warned that they would not tolerate any acts of violence or terrorism.
The New People's Army of the Philippines is one of the oldest communist organizations in the world, founded in 1969. The New People's Army of the Philippines (NPA) claims to have about 5,000 fighters, down from 26,000 in the 1980s. The New People's Army of the Philippines is mainly active in rural areas of the Philippines and is supported by some poor and oppressed groups. The goal of the New People's Army of the Philippines is to overthrow the Philippines and establish a socialist state.
* Peace talks with communist forces have been going on for decades, but no substantial progress has been made. The most recent round of dialogue began in August 2023 and was brokered by Norway and the two sides reached a historic ceasefire. However, the dialogue stalled in November 2023, mainly because of the issue of political prisoners and the demands of the Communist forces for a joint **.
The outbreak of this conflict has aroused the attention and concern of the international community, and it remains to be seen whether the Philippine New People's Army can learn from the combat experience of the Kokang People's Army in northern Myanmar and whether it can pick up the "secret book of martial arts" in the tropical rainforest