Myanmar military announces temporary ceasefire on civil war following devastating earthquake

The ceasefire will take effect until Apr. 22.

April 03, 2025, 03:57 PM

The Myanmar junta announced a temporary ceasefire on Apr. 2 following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Mar. 28 that devastated various regions in the nation.

This comes a day after the military was reported to have opened fire at a Chinese Red Cross convoy carrying earthquake relief supplies.

The country has been locked in a civil war between armed resistance and pro-democracy groups and the junta since 2021, when the junta executed a coup.

The civilian party National Unity Government (NUG) had announced on Mar. 30 a 2-week pause to offensive military operations in areas affected by the earthquake to allow for humanitarian relief and rescue efforts.

The Three Brotherhood Alliance, made up of three ethnic armed groups, had also followed suit on Apr. 1, saying they would halt offensive actions for one month.

Both reserved their rights to defensive actions.

Temporary ceasefire

In an announcement on state television MRTV, military leaders announced that they would halt fighting until Apr. 22, reported AP.

The office of Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of Myanmar’s junta, said it was declared “to express sympathy for affected citizens, facilitate humanitarian aid and ensure stability during the recovery period," according to The New York Times.

However, the military warned that they would take "necessary countermeasures” if rebel groups attacked.

A day after relief convoy was shot

The announcement came just a day after Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an armed group part of the Brotherhood Alliance, accused the military of shooting at a relief convoy from the Chinese Red Cross.

The convoy was delivering aid to the Ummati village in Naung Cho township in Mandalay, an area caught in intense conflict between the armed group and the junta.

Spokesman for Myanmar’s military, Zaw Min Tun, denied that the military shot directly at the convoy, instead saying security forces had fired into the air after the convoy had refused to stop.

He claimed that the convoy had not notified junta authorities of its presence in advance.

The TNLA, however, said they had informed the military council about going to Mandalay.

Myanmar earthquake

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake left devastating impacts on the country and its people, with the death toll now over 3,000.

The royal capital city of Mandalay, home to over 1.5 million people, and the Sagaing region were the hardest hit by the quake.

The regions of Magway, the capital Naypyitaw, Bago, and Southern Shan were also affected.

The earthquake caused the collapse of several buildings, monasteries, centuries-old pagodas, and the historic 91-year-old Ava Bridge, with many still trapped in the rubble.

While there is an urgent need for shelter, food, water and medicine, the country's ongoing civil war has complicated efforts to help those in need.

Compounded with spotty electricity and telecommunications country-wide, the full extent of damage to the country remains unclear.