Inside the armed Burmese resistance
Myanmar’s wretched civil war has reached a stalemate
In thick jungle, in southern Myanmar, two soldiers cover a freshly dug pit with tree trunks. The floor of the emerging air-raid shelter, which will fit a dozen people, is already covered with rattan mats. Such makeshift defences are dotted about this hideout of Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG), whose forces are battling the ruling junta. The camp is the headquarters of the NUG’s Southern Command, one of three command posts established as part of a broad effort to reorganise the scattered Burmese resistance. The Economist spent several days inside NUG-controlled Myanmar assessing its progress.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “With the armed resistance”
From the June 10th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Asia
Who is Lee Jae-myung, South Korea’s possible next president?
The Economist interviews the divisive progressive leader
Is Cambodia slipping out of China’s orbit?
A new generation of leaders could be more receptive to the West
Why Taiwanese youth complain of becoming “housing slaves”
A new generation is questioning the value of homeownership
The Quad finally gets serious on security
The Indo-Pacific coalition signals a tougher approach to China
Taiwan’s political drama is paralysing its government
Domestic dysfunction plays right into China’s hands
An angry culture war surrounds Australia Day
Conservatives claim that wokeness is destroying the national holiday