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EXPERT COMMENT

Although the country is on the brink of collapse, it is vital those opposing the military coup find an end to their own disputes and remove their common enemy.

Whichever angle it is viewed from, it is clear the situation in Myanmar has significantly worsened one year on from the Tatmadaw military coup – and the military itself appears to have badly misjudged the degree to which the population had changed after enjoying a decade of relative freedom, underestimating the level of resistance it would face.

The Tatmadaw has been attempting to brutalize the population into submission with reports estimating almost 1,500 killed by the military – many of them allegedly tortured to death – and 12,000 arrested, has instead only resulted in radicalization rather than acquiescence, but this resistance is having devastating effects.

In a country where numerous ethnic armed groups had already been fighting the military for decades, the past year has seen numbers of internally displaced people believed to have doubled to almost 600,000 and food insecurity is now a major concern as the United Nations (UN) has estimated around half of the population could sink into poverty.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.