There has been a lot of fighting in Myanmar recently. The country has had multiple coups in a matter of only 10 years. The most recent coup happened in October 2023, when three groups teamed up against the military junta in Myanmar. It is said by the Center for Preventive Action to be one of the strongest opposing forces against the junta ever since the junta took over in February 2021. The attack used drones to bomb the military and police bases, outposts, and personnel.
There is so much background information to every coup that has happened in Myanmar. Before the current civil war, there was a group of Muslims called the Rohingya who had been heavily discriminated against by the citizens in Myanmar. The injustice imposed on the Rohingya was harsh, with others participating in boycotts on their shops, attacks on the Rohingya directly, and everyone trying to get the Rohingya out of the country. The Center of Preventive Action said that a Buddhist group had started a riot that displaced more than one hundred thousand and killed hundreds of Muslim Rohingyas. After the Rohingya had enough of the unfair treatment that was being placed on them, they decided to do something about it. According to the Center of Preventive Action, the Rohingya finally fought back by forming a military group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, who made attacks on military and police outposts which killed more than seventy people. After this happened, the government had a crackdown on the Rohingya, which made the Muslim group flee to other countries.
Not every single Rohingya fled from Myanmar, even when the government did a crackdown on the group. The people that did stay in Myanmar suffered worse than before. It was said by the Center of Preventive Action that there was a border conflict between Myanmar and the Bangladeshi border, which led to a total of 7 Myanian officer deaths. As a response to these deaths, the Myanian government had a crackdown on unarmed Muslim civilians in Myanmar. The Center of Preventive Action said that more than one thousand were killed and tens of thousands more fled Myanmar to look for safety. The first election happened soon after the crackdown; according to the Center of Preventive Action it was the first successful election in over 25 years but the election was held unofficially by Aung San Suu Kyi. He did not see the status of the Rohingya group and they were not allowed to vote in the election. He also held a peace conference. The goal of the peace conference was to end the conflict between the military and armed ethnic groups, but yet again, the Rohingya were not invited to this peace conference.
The living conditions throughout Myanmar’s lifetime have gotten worse and worse. It is said by the UNDP that seventy six percent of the population lives below or perilously close to a subsistence existence. What that means is that 76% of the population in Myanmar is below middle class. This is mostly caused by all of the civil wars that Myanmar has previously gone through and the current ones going through as of now. The UNDP also said that 12,000 households across Myanmar had to cut healthcare, education expenses, and even eat less because they cannot afford a middle class house. This is due to Myanmar’s currency, the kyat, not being worth as much as it used to be.
The coup in Myanmar is still actively happening, simultaneously, there have been attempts to end the coup. However, the rebel group that attacked the military junta has rejected peace. Until both sides can figure out how to solve their conflict, make sure to inform others of what is happening in Myanmar.
