The military has continuously extended the state of emergency measures since seizing power in a coup in February 2021.
Myanmar's ruling military junta has extended the state of emergency in the country for six months.
The Defense Security Council decided on Wednesday to extend the emergency rules for another six months, just before the previous term expires at midnight. The move will further delay elections that were promised after the coup that installed military government in February 2021.
The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the coup. The coup ended a decade-long experiment in democracy and sparked mass protests and a crackdown on opposition.
The military says it cannot lift the state of emergency while fighting with armed groups is underway across the country.
“Acting President Myint Swe has announced the extension of the state of emergency to ensure that the situation is not normal and the fight against terrorists can continue,” the government said in a statement.
The council met in the military-built capital Naypyitaw to discuss “preparations for holding multiparty elections” and the census, the statement added, without giving further details.
Emergency rule extension
The military has continued to extend the state of emergency since it seized power in February 2021 and overthrew the government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Since then, more than 4,400 people have been killed in a crackdown on opposition, according to local monitoring groups.
The current government insists the 2008 constitution drafted by the military is still valid and calls on authorities to hold new elections within six months after the state of emergency is lifted.
But the government has struggled to quell widespread armed opposition to its rule, and recently suffered a series of stunning setbacks to an alliance of ethnic armed groups.
The violence has displaced more than 2 million people, according to the United Nations.
Spring revolution aims for victory
Since 2021, Myanmar has faced a barrage of international sanctions, undoing years of progress and leaving its economy 10 percent smaller than in 2019.
On Wednesday, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also called on the international community to cut off military access to jet fuel.
The United Nations and human rights groups have accused military commanders of rights violations, including crimes against humanity, in the crackdown on the rebels.
Moreover, economists say the generals who overthrew the previous government are increasingly relying on illegal income from gem mining and logging.
But the country's anti-coup forces claim they are close to victory over the military.
“After three years, the Spring Revolution is stronger than ever,” Duwa Rashi Ra, acting president of the National Unity Government (NUG), a coalition of ethnic armed groups and resistance fighters, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday. Told.
“With each passing day, we move closer to victory. The criminal forces will never crush the will of the people.”