Myanmar's Forgotten War Explained: The Military Coup, Revolution, NUG, Rohingya | 2023 Latest News

There’s a war going on right now that you've probably never heard of. The war in Myanmar has been referred to as 'The Forgotten War', which began in early 2021 as the military launched a coup and seized power.

0:00 Myanmar Explained
0:55 The Coup in Myanmar
1:45 History of Myanmar's Military
2:43 The 8888 Uprising
3:30 Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?
3:45 Ethnic Minority Groups & Four Cuts Policy
5:18 Democracy in Myanmar
6:10 Rohingya Genocide
8:46 Why did the Military Launch a Coup?
9:35 Civil War in Myanmar
10:05 National Unity Government
10:43 Crimes Against Humanity
11:48 Future of Myanmar

The military claimed that Myanmar's 2020 elections had been rigged, something independent election monitors and experts have said is simply not true. A state of emergency was announced and General Min Aung Hlaing took control of the country. Politicians and critics of the military were jailed including the nation's leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The military in Myanmar has a long history of using violence to seize and maintain power. When Myanmar (Burma) gained its independence after more than a century of British rule it didn't take long for the military to step in and take control.

The military controlled all aspects of daily life and violently dealt with anything that it perceived as a threat. One of the most infamous examples of this came in 1988 with the 8888 uprising. The military responded with brutality, shooting live ammunition into protesters in the street.

Aung San Suu Kyi emerged as a leading voice of this pro-democracy movement & was placed under house arrest for 15 years. She continued to push for democratic change with her political party the NLD.

The military also targeted minority ethnic groups to the point of being accused of genocide. Myanmar is made up of a number of different ethnic groups the largest and most powerful being the Bamar who traditionally have dominated the military and positions of power. When Myanmar gained its independence the Panglong agreement promised a number of these minority groups autonomy and a potential pathway to independence. When the military seized power, burmanisation policies were introduced to suppress the culture, language and religion of minorities.

This oppression led to rising ethnic tensions which the military responded to by introducing even more brutal & extreme tactics, like the Four Cuts Policy. One of the military's bloodiest campaigns was in 2017 against the Rohingya people (considered by many in Myanmar as Bengalis from Bangladesh) who haven’t had access to citizenship rights since the 80s.

By the late 2000s the military announced it would be shifting to a more democratic system of government. However, the new constitution ensured the military would keep control over key areas of everyday life and defence and would always hold a quarter of the seats in parliament no matter what. Even in 2015 when Myanmar held its first genuinely open elections since the 60s and the NLD won in a massive landslide against the pro-military USDP party it still wasn't enough to break the military's stranglehold on power.

At the forefront of the resistance is the National Unity Government which is made up of a lot of the people that would have led Myanmar if the election hadn't been overthrown. The NUG formed in early 2021 and began working alongside and getting help from a number of ethnic resistance organisations.

All of this has significantly worsened the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar and the military has been accused of blocking food, medical supplies and other aid. United Nations expert Tom Andrews says the military needs money, weapons, and legitimacy to sustain itself. The military has announced plans to hold elections so it can appear to support democracy with a government it can control. UN member states have been urged to ignore this election and recognise the NUG as Myanmar's rightful government. There have been calls for an international arms embargo as some countries like Russia and China have continued to supply weapons to the military junta. When it comes to money targeted economic sanctions are being encouraged. - Nicholas Maher

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