Three ethnic armies from the Northern Alliance declared a conditional one-month ceasefire in northern Shan and Rakhine states on Monday, saying they want to try to build trust with Myanmar forces amid hostilities that have displaced thousands of civilians and disrupted trade with China, RFA reported.

The three groups — the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) — said they would not launch offensives against the government army during the cease-fire which runs from Monday through Oct. 8.

The ethnic armies said they would respond, however, if government forces initiate attacks, deploy helicopters or fighter jets, or commence heavy artillery fire.