Multi-ethnic unity against the military in Myanmar is crucial

After its coup d’état on February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military, the Tatmadaw, is doing everything to cling to power and every day the violence against civilians is becoming more brutal. So far at least 200 civilians have been killed by the security forces. No one knows when and how it will end. Yet, the massive popular resistance to military rule, across ethnic, religious, gendered, and generational divides, gives hope for a new kind of democracy in Myanmar with ethnic equality and inclusion.

This article by DIIS senior researcher, Helene Maria Kyed and anonymised researchers from the Nyan Corridor, traces the diversity of resistance to the military coup in Myanmar and the ongoing efforts to create a common message and strategy for a future democracy. It argues that multi-ethnic unity is crucial to the success of the civilian opposition to military rule, and that this can also help to obstruct the military’s current efforts to consolidate its power by exploiting the splits between the NLD and the ethnic political parties and armed groups.

While there are still many challenges to a united opposition, the recent weeks have seen more and more Bamar protesters come together with ethnic minorities in demanding an abolition of the 2008 constitution and an introduction of federal democracy. They do not simply want a return to the pre-coup status quo, but more fundamental societal changes that focus on minority rights and power sharing. Even the NLD – dominated parliamentary committee – the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) – has now declared support to federal democracy and begun to reach out to more and more ethnic minority groups – armed as well as civilian.

This gives hope for a more inclusive and united resistance, especially if the NLD can win the trust of and effectively include civil society groups and ethnic political parties in making broad-based decisions on the ways forward. At the same time, a pressing challenge right now is how to protect civilians and keep the resistance going in light of the ever more brutal crackdowns by the security forces.