Description: Myanmar’s military junta has announced that plans have been set to end the state of emergency in the country as elections were scheduled to be held in Dec. The junta’s leader, Min Aung Hlaing stated that electoral preparations in several towns and districts have already begun while the date of the Dec elections would be specified in the upcoming period. The US criticized the junta’s decision and stated that it meant to solidify Hlaing’s leadership position, while China supported the election initiative and stated that Myanmar followed its national political agenda and development plans. The junta held a nationwide census across the country last year but failed to conduct it in 145 of the country’s 330 townships which indicated a significant lack of territorial control. The country is still in a state of war, since the military junta ousted the civilian government in 2021 and created conditions for a multi – sided conflict to unfold.
Impact: The decision from the Myanmar’s military junta to suspend the country’s state of emergency arrives on the back of escalated foreign interference from China and elevated interest from the US in the country’s rare earth minerals potential. The junta would aim at establishing itself as the legitimate government and consolidating power despite evident shortages in territorial control of crucial areas where rebel groups have managed to repel several ground and aerial military offensives. China has devised close ties with the military junta in the country and also has developed ties with several rebel groups in control of key areas where Myanmar’s rare earths are located. Recent reports indicated that the US has been approached as an alternative partner through private business contacts in Myanmar with close ties to US Vice – President JD Vance. The situation emphasizes the importance and interconnectedness between rare earth minerals and the present state of the global economic demand and outlines a new geopolitical battlefront between China and the US. The elections in Dec would most probably enforce the junta’s rulership in the country which would prolong and escalate the conflict.