Myanmar's military-backed government imposes martial law in 60 townships

Myanmar's junta leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing has ​issued new emergency ordinances to impose military ​control in 60 townships, ‌a move aimed ​at tightening security in regions still mired in conflict despite the transition to civilian rule. * The ordinances ‌cover 60 townships across Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Shan and Rakhine States as well as Saging, Magway and Mandalay regions - areas where the military had imposed restrictions and curfews following ‌the 2021 coup.

* The official announcement cites the need to "end armed terrorism" and ‌restore "the rule of law" as the main justifications for the 90-day emergency period, according to a notification published by state-owned media on Friday. * All executive and judicial authority in these areas is transferred ⁠to ​Myanmar's new military ⁠chief Ye Win Oo for a period of 90 days, according to a second notification published in ⁠the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

* The ordinances mark the first major move ​by Min Aung Hlaing to solidify control over war-ravaged territories since becoming president in ⁠early April after a widely criticised election won by a military-backed party. * Myanmar was plunged into ⁠conflict ​in 2021 after the military ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking widespread protests that morphed into a nationwide armed resistance ⁠against the coup.

* Following its 2021 takeover, the Min Aung Hlaing-led junta imposed a ⁠state of emergency ⁠across the country, which it extended multiple times before it was able to conduct elections in December and January that critics ‌said were ‌neither free nor fair.