Myanmar’s junta is offering cash rewards to anti-coup fighters who defect and “return to the legal fold” ahead of its planned elections, state media reported Friday.

The military, mired in civil war since the 2021 coup, said 14 fighters — including members of ethnic armed groups and the pro-democracy People’s Defence Forces — have surrendered under the offer issued two weeks ago.

The junta, which has faced major battlefield losses, claims the elections will restore peace, though opposition groups and monitors dismiss them as a sham.

The opposition National Unity Government called the junta’s cash-for-defection tactic “deceptive” and aimed at legitimising its grip on power.