NAY PYI TAW — Myanmar's military government extended a four-year emergency rule, further delaying plans for long-promised general elections as a civil war rages on.
The National Defence and Security Council extended a state of emergency for another six months until July 31, according to a government statement on Friday. The move allows junta chief Min Aung Hlaing to retain control over the Southeast Asian country grappling with an economy battered by the civilian conflict and United States sanctions.
The emergency rule, extended now for the seventh time, was first imposed when the military seized power in a coup in February 2021. Min Aung Hlaing has repeatedly promised to hold elections but has held off as the junta tries to push back against a rebellion led by ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy fighters aligned with deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"It is found out that there are still work to be done to successfully hold general elections," Min Aung Hlaing said in a statement. "Mainly, there is a need for stability to ensure a free and fair general election."
The military lost ground to several ethnic armed groups over the past four years. The junta now controls less than one-third of the country, according to a report released by the parallel National Unity Government earlier this month.
Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing delivers his speech at the IX Moscow conference on international security in Moscow, Russia, on June 23, 2021. (File photo: Reuters)
The civil war has raised concerns in Beijing over the security of Chinese projects in Myanmar and border trade. China has played a key role in brokering peace talks between the junta and ethnic armed groups with the latest being the Myanmar generals' ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army earlier this month.
Min Aung Hlaing has requested for China's continued support at a ceremony to celebrate the Lunar New Year this week. The armed rebellion has continued to grow in Myanmar’s east and north regions after most of the west Rakhine State came under the control of the Arakan Army, raising concerns for China-funded projects including the Sino-Myanmar pipeline.
Revolutionary forces have also gained control of most of border towns, including some airports and trade hubs near China, crippling a major source of revenue for the junta.
The Kachin Independence Army, an armed group fighting the junta, in October wrested control of a mining region that is a major supplier of rare earth oxides to China. China's rare earth ore imports from Myanmar has yet to recover, according to a report by Shanghai Metal Market.