Jan 31, Kathmandu- Myanmar's junta extended a state of emergency for another six months on Friday, four years after it took power.

The country has been embroiled in a bloody, multi-faceted conflict since February 1, 2021, which ended 10 years of democratic rule.

The military is struggling to contain armed resistance against its rule, following a series of battlefield losses over the past year due to a coalition of ethnic minority armed groups in the north and west of the country.

The ruling military council, chaired by army chief Min Aung Hlaing, unanimously decided to extend the term, according to a statement issued by the junta's media group.

The statement said, "In accordance with Article 425 of the 2008 Constitution, the Head of the National Security and Defense Council and all its members, including the Acting President, have unanimously decided to extend the state of emergency for another six months."

Elections cannot be held during a state of emergency, so the long-promised 2025 election will not take place until the second half of the year. 

Min Aung Hlaing has told the ruling council that "peace and stability are still needed" before lifting the state of emergency and holding elections. 

The military seized power in 2020, alleging fraud in an election won by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) by a landslide.

It has repeatedly extended the state of emergency after fighting established ethnic minority armed groups and the pro-new democracy 'People's Defense Forces'.