The armed groups have taken control of swathes of the country since combining forces to launch a major offensive in October last year, putting the military under immense pressure.

Trained and guided by ethnic armed groups, Myanmar’s volunteer fighting forces are challenging the generals’ grip.

Ye Myo Hein, a senior expert on Myanmar at the United States Institute of Peace, said the military's call to cease fighting, made public in a statement Thursday, was aimed to appease China. "The SAC [State Administration Council] is making overtures to Beijing,