One year on from Myanmar’s military coup

Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, seized power on February 1, 2021. Since then, thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed and many more arrested, including civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

This short briefing looks at the events over the last year, and the international response to the crisis, including:

• The military’s role in Myanmar
• The 2021 coup
• The protest movement in response
• The growth in armed resistance to the military
• The formation of an opposition National Unity Government (NUG)
• The NUG’s declaration of war and its interaction with armed ethnic groups
• The economic and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar
• Aung San Suu Kyi’s convictions
• UK sanctions on Myanmar, and
• What happens next