Myanmar extends ceasefire with ethnic armed groups

Myanmar's military has extended its ceasefire agreements with ethnic armed groups until the end of 2022, local media reported on Tuesday.

The nationwide ceasefire agreement was initiated in October 2015, Xinhua news agency reported.

The military extended the ceasefire to boost the peace process in the country and to enable effective efforts to combat COVID-19 nationwide, the statement released by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services on Monday.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the State Administration Council, had earlier announced the decision during a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen in Nay Pyi Taw in January, the statement said.

The military had announced extending the suspension of military operations 20 times from December 21, 2018, till February 28 this year, it said.

Last week, the UN independent expert said that weapons exports to the military rulers in Myanmar by the UN Member States must stop.

In a report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews insisted that these arms had been used against civilians.

He also called for the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session to vote on a resolution to ban this trade.

"It should be incontrovertible that weapons used to kill civilians should no longer be transferred to Myanmar. These transfers truly shock the conscience," Andrews said in a statement.

( With inputs from ANI )