Myanmar’s military junta has again extended a temporary ceasefire in order to facilitate relief and reconstruction efforts following the earthquake that hit the country in late March.
In a statement published in state-run media today, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing’s office announced the extension of the ceasefire until the end of May, “in order for the state to continue implementing reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in earthquake-affected areas” and “to establish a genuine and durable peace.”
However, as with its previous ceasefire announcements, the military warned it is ready to take “necessary action” if resistance groups attack military personnel, engage in recruitment, or attempt any military build-ups or territorial expansion during the ceasefire period.
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit central Myanmar on March 28 has left at least 3,798 people dead and more than 5,100 injured as of April 29, according to the junta’s figures. More than 100 people remain missing. The unusual “supershear” quake caused widespread destruction along the Sagaing fault, which runs north-south through Myanmar’s central dry zone, destroying bridges, roads, schools, pagodas, government buildings, and thousands of homes.
On April 2, the military followed several resistance groups in announcing a unilateral ceasefire until April 22, in order to allow relief and rescue efforts to proceed. It later extended this until the end of the month after rare talks between Min Aung Hlaing and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Bangkok last month.
The fact that the junta is once again extending the ceasefire is a measure of the devastation wrought by the quake, though it likely has less benign intentions. Since the earthquake, the junta has been widely condemned for continuing to carry out attacks and airstrikes, despite the massive dislocation created by the disaster.
Late last month, Reuters compiled unpublished data from the United Nations Human Rights Office and data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and concluded that the military launched “at least 207 attacks, including 140 airstrikes and 24 artillery barrages” between March 28 and April 24. Of these, more than 172 attacks occurred after the ceasefire, and 73 took place in areas heavily affected by the earthquake.
Last week, the U.N. released its own figures showing that up to April 29, “the military has reportedly launched at least 243 attacks, including 171 air strikes, with over 200 civilians reportedly killed,” U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. The “vast majority” of these took place during the junta’s ceasefire.
“The unremitting violence inflicted on civilians, despite a ceasefire nominally declared in the wake of the devastating earthquake on 28 March, underscores the need for the parties to commit to, and implement, a genuine and permanent nationwide halt to hostilities and return to civilian rule,” Turk said.