Bangkok, Apr 22 (EFE).- Myanmar’s military junta has announced the extension until Apr. 30 of a ceasefire that expired on Tuesday to allow humanitarian aid into the country following a deadly earthquake on Mar. 28.
The military junta, which has been in power in the country since February 2021, said in a statement that the decision was aimed at speeding up reconstruction efforts after the collapse of thousands of infrastructures due to the quake, which killed more than 3,700 people.
The ceasefire, which was announced on Apr. 2, was extended until Apr. 30 to achieve “lasting peace” while “maintaining stability,” the junta said.
The United Nations (UN) has repeatedly accused the military regime of violating the ceasefire since it was unilaterally announced by Myanmar’s pro-democracy National Unity Government (NUG), the self-declared parallel government, and other opposition forces.
On Monday, the NUG blamed the junta for carrying out airstrikes on Apr. 18 that killed 12 people in Mandalay, the country’s second most populous city and one of the hardest hit by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake.
The report came a week after the UN counted 120 attacks by the military after the earthquake, most of them during the ceasefire and in areas, where a state of emergency was declared because of the devastation.
The regime told official The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Tuesday that “armed terrorists” – as it calls opposition groups, including ethnic and pro-democracy guerrillas – had launched attacks and that it would respond.
The junta also warned residents in hot areas to prioritize their safety and protect themselves.
China, which has been mediating between the military regime and pro-democracy groups, said on Monday that it had sent a ceasefire monitoring team to Lashio at the t request of the generals and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) after the two parties reached an agreement in the Chinese city of Kunming.
On Friday, following talks in Bangkok with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and NUG representatives, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the parties were ready to extend the ceasefire as a condition for the arrival of more humanitarian aid. EFE
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