Myanmar anti-coup fighters call partial ceasefire for quake relief

This handout satellite image released by Maxar Technologies on March 29, 2025, shows collapsed and destroyed shacks and buildings in Mandalay, Myanmar, after the March 27, 2025, earthquake. Agence France-Presse

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar — Anti-coup fighters in Myanmar declared a two-week partial ceasefire as the military began Sunday to facilitate rescue operations and other relief work after a massive earthquake hit the war-torn country.

The People’s Defense Force (PDF) will “implement a two-week pause in offensive military operations, except for defensive actions, in earthquake-affected areas starting March 30, 2025”, the shadow “National Unity Government” said in a statement.

The government in exile said it would “collaborate with the UN and NGOs to ensure security, transportation, and the establishment of temporary rescue and medical camps” in areas that it controls, according to the statement, which was released on social media.

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A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar on Friday, and also affected Thailand. At least 1,644 people were killed in Myanmar, the junta said, while around 10 others were killed in Bangkok.

Myanmar’s military has been fighting a civil war on multiple fronts since it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in February 2021.

READ: Scientists explain why Myanmar quake was so deadly

It is opposed by both the PDFs and ethnic armed organisations, many of which have been fighting for decades. The “National Unity Government” consists mostly of lawmakers ousted in the coup who are working to topple the junta.