Myanmar resistance movement announces partial ceasefire to facilitate earthquake relief efforts

Myanmar's National Unity Government declares ceasefire to aid earthquake relief, collaborating with U.N. and NGOs for security and assistance.

Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, which coordinates the popular struggle against the ruling military, has announced a unilateral partial ceasefire to facilitate earthquake relief efforts.

An announcement issued on Saturday (March 29, 2025) night said its armed wing, the People’s Defense Force (PDF) will implement a two-week pause in offensive military operations starting on Sunday (March 30, 2025) in earthquake-affected areas.

It said it would “collaborate with the U.N. and non-governmental organizations to ensure security, transportation, and the establishment of temporary rescue and medical camps,” in the areas it controls.

Myanmar’s ruling military said Saturday on state television that the confirmed death toll from a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake rose to 1,644, as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country’s second-largest city.

Rescue efforts are underway especially in the major stricken cities of Mandalay, the country's No. 2 city, and Naypyitaw, the capital. But even though teams and equipment have been flown in from other nations, they are hindered by the airports in those cities being damaged and apparently unfit to land planes.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is in the throes of a prolonged civil war, which is already responsible for a humanitarian crisis. It makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears that the death toll could still rise precipitously.