Myanmar

Crisis Group is monitoring the upsurge in violence in the country triggered by the military's 1 February 2021 coup d'état which deposed the Aung San Suu Kyi administration. The regime has brutally cracked down on protesters, killing hundreds and detaining thousands. Public sector strikes and other forms of civil disobedience have prevented the regime from consolidating its control, and plunged the country into deep economic crisis. Some of the country’s ethnic armed groups have gone on the offensive, and new forms of armed resistance by civilian militias and underground networks have emerged. Although Rakhine State has so far avoided some of the worst of the violence, the plight of the Rohingya remains unaddressed and the prospects for a return of almost one million languishing in camps in Bangladesh looks bleak. Through field research and advocacy, Crisis Group works to understand the new violent dynamics unleashed by the coup and mitigate the impact on the people of the country.

CrisisWatch Myanmar

Unchanged Situation

Conflict Risk Alert

Ethnic armed group captured military’s north east command, military chief faced major criticism for loss, and Arakan Army (AA) pursued attacks on regime forces in Northern Rakhine, which could fuel more civilian violence in coming weeks. 

Military lost first regional command in northern Shan state. Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and allies 3 Aug took control of Lashio town, capital of northern Shan State after launching attack previous month and just five days of heavy fighting on fortified headquarters. With more than 4,000 soldiers in MNDAA custody, Lashio’s fall represents major blow to military as NE Command is first of 14 regional commands to be lost to ethnic armed group. Military 2 Aug bombed hospital in Laukkai city, Kokang area, northern Shan, killing ten civilians. 

Military chief blamed foreign countries for fall, faced major criticism. Military chief Min Aung Hlaing 5 Aug addressed nation and warned about foreign interference, taking indirect aim at China without mentioning fall of Lashio. Nationalist monk Wirathu 8 Aug criticised Min Aung Hlaing, questioned whether he really wanted to win the war. Regime supporters also directed their anger at people of Chinese descent with anti-MNDAA and anti-Chinese pamphlets distributed in Mandalay city, along with threats to burn Chinese homes if city is attacked. Chinese FM Wang Yi 14 Aug stopped over briefly in capital Naypyitaw to discuss border security and protection of Chinese nationals, and investments in Myanmar.

AA continued attacks on pro-regime forces, denied deadly attack on civilians. AA launched fresh attacks against regime positions in Maungdaw town, as it attempts to force military out of northern Rakhine. AA 24-26 Aug said it recovered bodies of more than 100 soldiers and Muslim fighters; dozens more have been captured. Rohingya activists clamed AA for 5 Aug attack, which reportedly left around 200 Rohingya civilians dead; group denied involvement claiming to have evacuated more than 20,000 Rohingyas to north and south of Maungdaw. AA 30 Aug reported entering regime naval base, south of Rakhine’s Thandwe city.

In another important development. Military 7 Aug struck Kachin Independence Army-controlled border town of Laiza, Kachin state, hitting two churches; Chinese forces fired warning shots in response. 

Continue reading

In The News

31 May 2024
Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups are securing on the battlefield the autonomous homelands they have long sought. Al Jazeera

Richard Horsey

Senior Adviser, Myanmar
27 Apr 2024
Myanmar isn't a well-functioning, centralized state that has suddenly fallen into atomization… It's always been fragmented to some extent or another. Deutsche Welle

Richard Horsey

Senior Adviser, Myanmar
16 Feb 2024
The [Myanmar] military is clearly facing significant manpower shortages, which is why it is introducing a draft for the first time in its history. Reuters

Richard Horsey

Senior Adviser, Myanmar
30 Jan 2024
The military [in Myanmar] might not have the ability to vanquish its opponents, but it retains an enormous capacity for violence, especially against civilian targets. VOA

Richard Horsey

Senior Adviser, Myanmar
13 Dec 2023
When the Myanmar military feels under pressure, its normal response is to ramp up the level of violence. The Wall Street Journal

Richard Horsey

Senior Adviser, Myanmar
14 Nov 2023
Myanmar needs Russia because it doesn't want to be isolated ... and they also need an alternative to China in the region. Newsweek

Oleg Ignatov

Senior Analyst, Russia

Latest Updates

Our People

Richard Horsey

Senior Adviser, Myanmar
Richard Horsey

Thomas Kean

Senior Consultant, Myanmar & Bangladesh
Thomas Kean

Subscribe to Crisis Group’s Email Updates

Receive the best source of conflict analysis right in your inbox.