In a move to facilitate relief efforts in the wake of a catastrophic earthquake, Myanmar’s military leadership unexpectedly declared a temporary ceasefire in the ongoing civil conflict on Wednesday. This announcement was broadcast on state television MRTV, indicating that the ceasefire would be in effect until April 22. The decision was made in response to the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck on Friday, leading to the tragic loss of over 3,000 lives.
While the military has called for this temporary halt in hostilities citing humanitarian concerns, it has sternly warned resistance groups against resuming attacks against state forces or using this period to regroup. Resistance factions, contesting the military’s control since the coup in 2021, had already announced their own unilateral ceasefires earlier in the week, yet they retain the right to defend themselves if necessary.
Amid ongoing rescue operations, teams continued to find survivors amidst the rubble in various cities. In the capital, Naypyitaw, collaborative efforts between Turkish and local rescuers resulted in the dramatic extraction of Naing Lin Tun, a worker trapped beneath a hotel. Similarly, efforts across other cities, like Mandalay, yielded additional rescues. However, the bulk of operations have been, unfortunately, the retrieval of bodies rather than survivors.
The seismic event decimated infrastructure, with bridges collapsing and roads rendered impassable, leaving over 3,000 dead and about 4,500 injured, according to MRTV reports. However, local accounts allude to potentially higher casualty stats.
The ongoing civil strife has exacerbated the devastation’s impact, as over 3 million individuals had already been displaced prior to the earthquake, with nearly 20 million requiring urgent aid as per UN estimations. Assistance is pouring in from various countries, with substantial contributions from India and China, both vying for influence in the region. Other nations, including Turkey, Malaysia, and Vietnam, have also dispatched aid.
In Thailand, the earthquake’s tremors led to the collapse of an under-construction high-rise in Bangkok, claiming yet more lives and adding to the toll of destruction.
This multifaceted crisis arrives as Myanmar’s military junta, led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, faces international scrutiny. His upcoming visit to a conference in Thailand underscores the regime’s diplomatic vulnerability against a backdrop of Western sanctions imposed for the 2021 coup d’état.
An incident involving a Chinese Red Cross convoy, allegedly targeted by the military in northern Shan state, has muddled the humanitarian response efforts. The convoy, mistakenly assumed hostile, came under fire, aggravating concerns about the security of relief operations.
Despite these tensions, global entities, including the United Nations, continue to emphasize the dire need for basics like water, medical supplies, and shelter in the disaster-hit zones. As aftershocks complicate relief measures, regions such as Mandalay remain particularly cut off, underscoring the enormity of the challenge.
Information from within Myanmar remains sporadic, with areas like Singu township reporting fatalities, such as the deaths of gold miners in a cave-in. Similarly, popular locales like Inle Lake have seen the destruction of stilted water homes, highlighting the earthquake’s diverse and devastating impact on the country’s infrastructure.