Rebels In Kayah State Hold Out Against Military Junta In Eastern Myanmar

KAYAH STATE, MYANMAR - MAY 12: M16 rifles lean against the wall of a Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) base on May 10, 2023 in Kayah State, Myanmar. Since the military coup in February 2021, Myanmar has spiralled into a brutal civil war, with more than 250 different armed groups engaged in conflicts throughout the country. The majority of these rebels are young individuals who had no previous military experience before taking up arms. They have allied themselves with ethnic armed organisations in the mountainous border regions, which have been involved in violent clashes with the Burmese military since the end of the Second World War. According to the United Nations, the current count of internally displaced persons has reached 1.8 million, while many others have sought refuge in neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Bangladesh. In the areas under government control, the military junta has carried out a widespread crackdown following the coup, leading to the arrest of over 20,000 individuals suspected of supporting the revolution. Many of them have endured and continue to face imprisonment, torture, and execution. (Photo by Daphne Wesdorp/Getty Images)