ISTANBUL

Myanmar's junta regime on Friday extended the emergency rule for another six months, the state-run MRTV said.

Military ruler Min Aung Hlaing announced the decision in a meeting of the National Defense and Security Council, where he said “the current situation in the country requires stability to hold elections."

The announcement comes a day before the Southeast Asian nation marks four years since the military, known as the Tatmadaw, launched a coup in February 2021.

The military regime last year invited the opposition, including armed groups, to work toward holding a general election, but nothing has matured since.

The military seized power in a pre-dawn coup on Feb. 1, 2021, overthrowing the government of National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar has since then seen increased internal conflict among different ethnic groups, mostly in northern regions.

Since the 2021 coup, at least 6,106 civilians have been killed by security forces, not including casualties from the ongoing fighting, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said Myanmar’s military must relinquish power to allow a return to civilian rule through an inclusive democratic transition.

Guterres "condemns all forms of violence and calls on all parties to the conflict to exercise maximum restraint, uphold human rights and international humanitarian law, and prevent further incitement of violence and intercommunal tensions,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Fighting between junta forces and opposition armed groups – marked by indiscriminate aerial bombardments, village burnings, and executions – has displaced over 3.5 million people within the country, according to the UN.