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Myanmar’s military on Wednesday declared a 21-day cease-fire to support relief and reconstruction efforts in the wake of a devastating earthquake in the country, a day after it fired on a Chinese Red Cross convoy trying to deliver food and medicine to desperate survivors.
The attack on the Chinese convoy, which was widely condemned by rights activists, highlighted the dangers aid groups face from the country’s ongoing civil war.
It remains unclear whether the cease-fire would be honored — armed rebel groups said the military had launched scores of airstrikes since Friday’s 7.7-magnitude temblor, which killed at least 2,700.
In the wake of the earthquake, the shadow government in exile, known as the National Unity Government, and an alliance of three rebel groups announced cease-fires. But the military, which seized power in a coup four years ago, had indicated that it would not stop hostilities. The fierce civil war had already caused widespread suffering before the earthquake, which left millions of people with little food and water.
