Accusations of severe human rights abuses and violations followed afterwards, and the cabinet of the parliamentary government and political leaders of ethnic minority groups were arrested and detained without trial. November 1963)Īfter three successive parliamentary governments governed Myanmar, the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces), led by General Ne Win, enacted a coup d'état in 1962, which ousted the parliamentary government and replaced it with a military junta. "They have gone back": Insurgents of the Communist Party of Burma walk back to their bases after failed peace talks.
MYANMAR CIVIL WAR FULL
The KNU has since shifted their focus from full independence to regional autonomy, under a federal system with fair Karen representation in the government. The proposed state would have encompassed the territories of Karen State and Karenni State (present-day Kayin State and Kayah State), in Lower Burma (Outer Myanmar). ĭuring the post-independence period, the KNU favoured an independent state, governed by the Karen people. At its peak, the CPB had 15,000 fighters in 1949. Initially there was calm during the transitional period after independence, but on 2 April 1948, the CPB fired the first shots of the conflict in Paukkongyi, Pegu Region (present-day Bago Region). The former had fought the British colonial government prior to independence however, during the final days of the Japanese occupation of Burma in World War II, both groups helped the British fight against the Imperial Japanese Army.
Main articles: Communist insurgency in Myanmar and Karen conflict § Post-independenceįollowing Burma's independence from the United Kingdom on 4 January 1948, the two largest opposition groups in the country were the communists, led by the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), and the Karen nationalists, led by the Karen National Union (KNU). Timeline Post-independence conflict (1948–1962) This further strained relations between the Bamar ethnic majority and the country's many ethnic minorities. However, Aung San was assassinated shortly afterwards, and the Panglong Agreement was not honoured by the post-independence government. It also gave the Chin, Kachin and Shan people the option to separate from Myanmar after a decade if their states' leaders were unhappy with the central government. The agreement guaranteed the right to self-determination, political representation in the post-independence government and economic equality amongst the various ethnic groups. Īfter World War II, Aung San negotiated with several ethnic leaders in Shan State, and the Panglong Agreement was reached between them. During this period, far-left groups such as the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) and armed ethnic groups began to emerge in opposition to both the British and Japanese. These groups became especially influential during World War II, when the Empire of Japan promised an "independent Burmese state" (though it would be de facto controlled by Japan as a puppet state) and appointed Ba Maw as its head of state. 5 Refugee and internal displacement crisisīefore Myanmar (Burma) gained independence from the United Kingdom, several anti-colonial groups protested against British rule of the country.2.6 2021 coup d'état and resurgence of violence.The conflict is the world's longest ongoing civil war, having spanned more than seven decades. Despite numerous ceasefires and the creation of autonomous self-administered zones in 2008, many groups continue to call for independence, increased autonomy, or the federalisation of the country. The conflict has largely been ethnic-based, with several ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw, for self-determination. Insurgencies have been ongoing in Myanmar since 1948, the year the country, then known as Burma, gained independence from the United Kingdom. You may need rendering support to display the Burmese script in this article correctly.
Campaign at the China–Burma border (1960–1961).