MARTIAL law was declared in several areas of military-run Myanmar on Thursday, a day after authorities announced that a state of emergency had been extended throughout the country.

The United Nations says the turmoil in Myanmar amounts to a civil war.

State-run MRTV television broadcast an announcement by Aung Lin Dwe, secretary of the military’s State Administration Council, imposing martial law in 37 townships across eight of the country’s 14 regions and states.

Eleven of the affected townships are in Sagaing region and seven in Chin state, areas in the north-west where fighting has been fiercest.

War has been raging between the army and guerillas belonging to the pro-democracy People’s Defence Forces and their allies in ethnic minority militias.

The army has been struggling to contain a nationwide insurrection by opponents of military rule who took up arms after peaceful protests against the army’s February 1 2021, seizure of power were suppressed with lethal force.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent watchdog group that tracks killings and arrests, at least 2,948 civilians have been killed since the army takeover.

Aung Lin Dwe said in a statement that it was necessary to declare martial law to effectively carry out security and the rule of law.

Martial law supersedes all other laws, giving the military total authority over a specified area, including administrative, judicial and law enforcement functions.

The other areas where martial law was declared are in Magway, Bago and Tanintharyi regions, and Kayah, Kayin and Mon states.

A spokesperson for the opposition’s underground National Unity Government, which acts as a shadow government opposed to army rule, said: “We want to inform the soldiers and policemen who are protecting the junta not to continue fighting the unwinnable war, that the people are fighting them back,” Nay Phone said.

This comes as south-east Asian foreign ministers met in Indonesia's capital Friday for talks which will include the deteriorating situation in Myanmar.

Myanmar belongs to the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), but the annual ministers’ retreat was held in Jakarta without Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin.

The absence was forced following Myanmar’s failure to fully implement a five-step agreement made in 2021 between Asean leaders and Myanmar’s military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

The deal included allowing a special envoy from Asean to meet the ousted and jailed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others.