The surprise announcement by the unelected government said the halt in fighting would run until April 22 to show compassion for people affected by last week's quake.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is in the throes of a prolonged and bloody civil war, which is already responsible for a massive humanitarian crisis.

Myanmar’s ruling military has announced a temporary ceasefire in operations against armed opponents effective April 2 to April 22 following last week’s deadly earthquake, state-run MRTV said on Wednesday.

After a 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook Myanmar on Friday, killing more than 2,800 people, international rescuers rushed into the devastated Southeast Asian country.

Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing will attend the regional BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok this week, Thailand's foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura did not specify if Min Aung Hlaing would attend the meeting in-person or remotely.

Democratic senators said in a letter that the administration was failing its first test of humanitarian aid as China and Russia send teams to help.

Buildings in Myanmar are continuing to collapse five days after a powerful earthquake struck the country, creating perilous conditions for rescuers as they attempt to extricate survivors from the rubble.

It was unclear whether the cease-fire would be honored. It came a day after soldiers fired at a Chinese Red Cross aid convoy, and amid multiple airstrikes.

Rescuers from the Vietnam People's Army, who are currently joining earthquake relief efforts in Myanmar, raced against time to save a survivor on Wednesday.

A 63-year-old woman was pulled alive from under the rubble Tuesday about 91 hours after Myanmar was struck by a devastating, 7.7 magnitude earthquake, the Myanmar Fire Services Department said on social media.

Rescue workers have saved a 63-year-old woman from earthquake rubble in Myanmar’s capital, but hope is fading of finding many more survivors

The junta’s announcement of a humanitarian ceasefire follows similar announcements by the opposition National Unity Government and a powerful alliance of ethnic armed groups in the days since the March 28 earthquake. The Kachin Independence Army, another prominent ethnic armed group, has since followed suit.

Here’s what to know about the challenges from the natural disaster—compounded by ongoing civil war—and where the country could go from here.

Last week’s violent earthquakes tore through a part of Myanmar that had already borne the brunt of a brutal campaign by the country’s military junta to root out resistance.That double hit is now complicating relief efforts and could potentially shift the course of one of the world’s most virulent but often forgotten conflicts.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has rejected ceasefire proposals from rebel groups seeking to facilitate aid to areas impacted by Friday’s deadly earthquake as concerns mount over how the civil conflict could hinder relief efforts.

STORY: Patients lie on hospital beds out in the open in a makeshift ward at Mandalay hospital in quake-hit Myanmar. It's amid fresh concerns by the UN about a shortage of shelter, clean water and medicine as the war-torn country responds to the massive disaster.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has also rejected calls for a ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of desperately needed relief supplies.