Effaced Election to Civil War: The Situation in Myanmar

Since Myanmar’s independence in 1948, the country has struggled with military rule, poverty, and civil war. As of early 2021, Myanmar found itself victim of a new chapter of violence and instability. A military coup took place in February 2021, making the country’s hopes for democratic reform a distant reality as conflict escalated into a civil war.

A coup d'etat took place in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, shifting the power from democratically elected government officials to the military. The coup took place on the first day that the parliament planned to meet following the 2020 elections. President Win Myint, and other National League for Democracy (NLD) party members were captured, placing Myint Swe, a former military officer and military-appointed vice president, as acting president. He invoked articles 417 and 418 of the constitution immediately, which call for a one-year state of emergency, and hand all executive, legislative, and judicial powers to Senior General Min, commander in chief of the armed forces. Min claimed military action was necessary, claiming the elections were fraudulent. He promised to hold elections after the state of emergency elapsed. The State Administrative Council was formed the following day to perform government functions during the emergency period, placing Senior General Min as chairman. Six months later, the council was replaced by a Senior General Min-led military government. The state of emergency was also extended until August 2023 by the military government. This extension allowed the new regime to continue assuming legislative, judicial, and executive powers, without pressure from revolutionary parties.

The coup fundamentally dissolved the democratic elections that took place merely weeks before.

English: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, OGL v1.0OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

In April 2021, the National Unity Government, a shadow government, was formed in opposition to the military junta. Some members operate from rebel-controlled territories, while others work from abroad. In May 2021, the shadow government established the People’s Defense Force (PDF), which has gathered tens of thousands of troops since its creation. The PDF remains a key player in allowing regional leaders and civilians to regain captured territories since the start of the coup.

Civilians did not support the violent takeover, sparking protests and armed resistance to the new regime. These protests are known on the local level as the Spring Revolution, and continue to take place today. Most displays in the country were met with violent response from police forces. Some of the largest demonstrations occurred in the city of Yangon, which was the site of a protest massacre on March 14, 2021, when demonstrators were trapped and shot at by military forces.

Air strikes became common practice against innocent local populations, including children and farmers. Nearly 600 air attacks were launched from February 2021 to January 2023. One of the most brutal of such events took place on September 16, 2022, when the village of Let Yet Kone was attacked by military aircrafts. Many school children were injured, leading to several deaths.

Arson attacks are also repetitive incidents in the conflict. In June 2023, the military torched the houses of villagers in the Sagaing Region’s Salingyi Township. The arson attacks emerged in response to an attack by local resistance forces on a police station in Nyaung Pin Gyi Village. The Union Liberation Front and the Buffalo People’s Defense Force (Loikaw) fighters, which are local defense groups, set fire to the station, killing a dozen of regime forces. The military responded with a 30 minute airstrike, followed by the torching of homes near the police station. Over 3,000 civilians were forced to flee the area.

The coup also brought forth unfair convictions and the mistreatment of prisoners across the country. In 2022, political figures, activists, and human rights advocates were convicted in preferential and corrupt trials. At the same time, thousands of detainees were tortured, some even executed, following their false convictions.

25stargeneral, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Rohingya genocide, an ongoing conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, has also been amplified with the birth of more political violence. The genocide, which started on August 25, 2017, refers to a Myanmar military operation that targeted Rohingya Muslims in the country. Over 700,000 members of the ethnic group fled to neighboring countries, while some 600,000 remain discriminatorily detained by the junta as “stateless people.” The crisis is recognized by many countries across the globe and is a reemerging topic of UN attention; the UN Human Rights Council passed 5 resolutions on July 14, 2023 to address different aspects of the issue. At the same time, the EU released 12.5 million euro to aid with the situation in Myanmar, with a significant portion of the aid directed to supporting Rohingya communities that were able to flee to Bangladesh. The United States also pledged an additional USD 116 million to aid the refugees, in addition to the funds provided by them since 2017. France has also allocated nearly 2.3 million euro towards the crisis since its eruption six years ago.

As of the end of 2022, 1.3 million individuals became refugees or asylum seekers, and over 1.5 million people remain internally displaced. On the 10th of October, 2023, the military raided a refugee camp near the Chinese border, which housed thousands of IDPs. 29 refugees were killed in the attack.

Human rights violations have become a recurrent trend against the people of Myanmar, as the military-led government continues to fight against displeased civilians. Collective punishment by blocking access to food, information, and funds is a common tactic employed by those in power. The country’s economy declined continuously since the start of the violence. After a decade of steady increase, Myanmar’s economy declined by 18% in 2021 alone. Additionally, the kyat, the local currency, lost half its value, leading to inflation as high as 16% in 2022. The military-focused economy, paired with international sanctions, have made it increasingly harder for the economy to recover. Additionally, almost 40% of the population in Myanmar is living under the poverty line.

Given the gravity of the situation in Myanmar, the international community has been active in discussing the crisis and providing aid to affected areas. The United States was among the first to react to the crisis, directing USD 469 million towards alleviating the situation in the Southeast Asian nation, and has continued to support it year after year. In addition to significant support towards refugees of the Rohingya genocide, the EU allocated 24.5 million euro to assist with the needs of vulnerable individuals across the country, of which 4.5 million euro was provided in July specifically for health and food support. Still, much of the provided assistance is denied by the military regime currently in place and kept from reaching individuals in need, further endangering the lives of Myanma people. This was seen most prominently in May 2023, when Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) officials delivering aid to Myanmar were attacked. This did not deter ASEAN’s support, as most member states continue to support the conflict-stricken nation, while refusing to recognize the military junta as legitimate.

The dates for any upcoming elections are yet to be established.

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