[Photo: Reuters]

Myanmar is facing increasing violence and political instability three years after a military coup. Anti-coup fighters are demanding the removal of military influence from the country’s politics.

On February 1, 2021, a military coup in Myanmar led to nonviolent protests that escalated into a brutal armed uprising when met with violent suppression by the military.

Cities and towns throughout Myanmar grounded to a halt as people engaged in a silent strike in defiance of the military junta on the anniversary of the 2021 coup.

According to analysts, the military’s hold on power is now more uncertain than it has been in the last sixty years. The United Nations reports that two-thirds of the country is currently experiencing conflict.

Debbie Stothard, the founder and coordinator of the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN), told Radio Islam that there is currently both peaceful and armed resistance against a very brutal and illegal Junta.

Stohard, who has been supporting human rights and democracy in Burma for the past 36 years, says the violence that has escalated since the February 2021 coup has exceeded everyone’s imagination and worst fears.

“The Military Junta have mainly been targeting civilians through targeted airstrikes and even using banned weapons, indiscriminately killing innocent people simply because they cannot get back at the armed resistance,” she said.

Stothard stated that there have been unprecedented military victories by the resistance from October to December. “We saw resistance destroy 400 Junta bases; in one incident, several hundred soldiers and six generals had to surrender to the resistance in order to be allowed safe conduct out of the area. This is interesting because in the history of the military in Burma, they may have retreated, but have never surrendered,” she added.

According to Stothard, people on the ground are finding ways to resist using little resources. “Around the 3^rd anniversary of the attempted coup, we saw a huge swelling of civilian resistance and peaceful resistance in so many ways, including the recent silent strike. People are determined; they do not want to see another year of the illegal Junta, so they are pulling out all stops to try and reverse this coup once and for all,” she said.

Stothard pointed out that International attention is very fleeting. “Ever since the coup began in Myanmar, the prices of essential goods have skyrocketed by over 250%, leaving many struggling to make ends meet. The Military Junta has been blocking aid in areas where the local population has been resisting them and preventing international organisations from entering disaster or conflict-stricken areas. This has resulted in a dire humanitarian situation, with people being harmed by those in power,” she added.

Stothard urges the International community to invest in cross-border community-based aid. “There are so many community-based organisations working quietly behind the scenes, on the ground to deliver aid effectively but have yet to be recognised by the International community. In order to sustain communities on the ground and build resistance, we need to invest there instead of expensive aid projects that are not delivered,” she reiterated.

Stothard said they have seen a range of sanctions, especially on aviation fuel, since the Junta has been resorting to air strikes on civilians as one of its main war strategies. However, she highlighted that these sanctions have not been comprehensive. “We haven’t seen a unified approach. We need a more consistent regime so that all loopholes are sealed, leaving the Junta with nowhere to go,” she said.

Myanmar’s resistance forces aim to establish a federal democracy that grants ethnic minorities the right to self-determination.

“A largely urban population has started forming the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) and have teamed up with resistance organisations as well as ethnic armed forces. On the other side of this is a growing political alliance; the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) has been discussing the political programme of a future Burma, Myanmar. We need to ensure that armed resistance and political resistance are aligned and complimentary,” said Stothard.

LISTEN to the full interview with Muallimah Annisa Essack and Debbie Stothard, the founder and coordinator of ALTSEAN, Burma, here.