The Forgotten Fight for Freedom

Myanmar is in the grip of a war largely forgotten by the outside world. A rising armed resistance is battling against the military regime. Press freedom in the country is restricted, hundreds of journalists have been jailed, and getting into Myanmar to report first hand is tough. Three years ago, the country's transition to democracy was cut short by a military coup, with the elected government led by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi being ousted. People took to the streets in protest but were met with a brutal crackdown. Many took up arms, and in October 2023 the disparate rebel groups agreed to unite to form a single country-wide insurgency, which has made gains conquering large swathes of territory. The fighters, among them a group known as KNDF, are now presenting the Myanmar military with the biggest threat to its rule in years. The United Nations says the civil war has killed thousands and forced more than two-and-a-half million people to flee their homes.