Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals

An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021

Myanmar
Rebels have launched drone strikes on the capital of Naypyidaw, in a 'slap to the face' of junta chief Min Aung Hlaing
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Something extraordinary is happening in Myanmar, said Moe Sett Nyein Chan in The Irawaddy (Chiang Mai,Thailand): the nation formerly known as Burma is on the brink of witnessing an unexpected victory for the underdog.

When its notoriously brutal military – the Tatmadaw – overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, a "Spring Revolution" of armed protest movements swept across the country and have continued ever since. At the same time, a sizeable group of deposed MPs, mainly from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, set up their own National Unity Government (NUG) in exile: it now has its own "People's Defence Force", and has been recognised by the European parliament as the legitimate government of Myanmar. 

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