Asia | A brutal civil war

The military dictatorship controls less than 50% of Myanmar

The junta has suffered severe losses but remains powerful

Photograph: AP
|Yangon

Ever since Myanmar’s military junta seized power in a coup in 2021, hundreds of disparate resistance groups have been fighting back. Since late last year, the opposition has gained ground. The seizure on April 11th of Myawaddy, an important trading town on the border with Thailand, looked like a turning-point. Some analysts predicted that the junta would soon fall. But less than two weeks later, Myawaddy was back in the hands of Saw Chit Thu, a pro-military warlord. What would it take to topple the junta?

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Armed and dangerous”

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