POBNEWS24, Desk report Dhaka Apr 7, 2024 : Myanmar’s military rulers face yet another major defeat. This time, from their possession, an important city adjacent to the Thai border has gone into the possession of the rebels. It is to be noted that the military rulers seized power three years ago.
Hundreds of soldiers from the eastern border town of Mayawari have surrendered to Karen rebels. Most of Myanmar’s trade with Thailand goes through this border town. The Karen rebels, along with other rebel forces, have been attacking the town for the past few weeks.
The Karen National Union released a video showing a number of young fighters displaying large quantities of weapons, which they seized from soldiers. This is the latest example of a series of defeats by the Myanmar army. In the past few months, the military junta has lost large areas of Shan State bordering China and Rakhine State bordering Bangladesh to the insurgents. Thousands of soldiers were either killed or surrendered or fled. As a result, Myanmar’s junta government has made it mandatory for its residents to join the military. The Karen National Union has been fighting for self-rule since Myanmar gained independence in 1948.
However, in the 1990s, they faced several defeats at the hands of government forces. Since 2015, they have been in a ceasefire with the government. But that situation changed after the military coup in 2021. Karen fighters announced that the truce was overturned by the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.
Since the military seized power, Karen State, close to Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, and with the best links to the Thai border, has become a favorite destination for government opponents. Karen National Union has trained many young fighters from different cities. These militants have launched fresh attacks on various military bases. Along with the Karen Nationalist Defense Force and other rebel forces such as the Kachin Independence Army, the Karen National Union has launched a joint attack. The powerful militia, funded by propagandists and gambling rings along the Thai border, has long supported the military but switched sides earlier this year. Since then, the rebels have become much heavier.
Burdened by war in many parts of the country, Myanmar’s military is unable to send new troops to Karen State. As a result, they lost control of the main road along the border. In response, the military has stepped up airstrikes in rebel-held areas. Thousands of civilians have lost their homes in the war in Karen State. Fearing that airstrikes may increase ahead, many have started moving towards the Thai border.
Multiple rebel groups are fighting in different states of Myanmar Since coming to power in February 2021, Myanmar’s military government has come under the heaviest resistance attack. As long-standing ethnic rebel groups are behind the fierce resistance, an alliance called the Brotherhood Alliance is said to have cornered the military. This coalition says that their main goal now is the fall of the junta government. However, apart from the Brotherhood Alliance, there are several other ethnic rebel groups. Excluding the Rohingyas, there are a total of 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar. Among them are the armed forces of relatively powerful groups.
Where multiple rebel groups have joined forces based on mutual understanding. Myanmar has been in conflict since independence in 1948. In 1962, the military seized power in the country. The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, came to power in 2015 after a long period of junta control. However, as the party’s large majority in the 2020 elections seemed a threat to the military rulers, the military seized power again in a coup d’état on February 1, 2021, the following year. But this decision was not accepted by the general public of the country. When they came to the streets in protest, the military forces started suppressing them with strict hands.
According to a 2023 report by Human Rights Watch, Myanmar’s military has carried out crackdowns across the country since the coup. More than 16,000 pro-democracy people were arbitrarily arrested and 273 people died in police custody. The report also mentions massacres, arrests, torture, sexual violence and other oppressions. This year marks three years since the military junta took power again.
Finally, in April 2021, the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by the winning members formed the Government of National Unity, abbreviated as NUG. Members of various ethnic groups also join it.
In late October 2023, three ethnic minority rebel forces in the country’s north, collectively known as the ‘Three Group Alliance’, launched a joint attack on Myanmar’s military. The alliance was formed with the National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Tang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA). They named it ‘Operation 1027’.
Hundreds of volunteers also joined the ethnic rebels. Two years of apparent stalemate came to an end with a bloody clash between the well-armed army and them. The military is currently facing various attacks. And not just in one place, but all over the country. As a result, the military is losing control in many places.
