The Myanmar Conflict, also known as the Burma conflict, has been one of the world’s longest
ongoing civil wars since the nation gained its independence in 1948.
Violence there continues to make headlines.
And on February 21st, 2015, 130 people were killed along the Chinese border in rebel attacks
in Eastern Myanmar.
So what is the Myanmar conflict about?
Well, in very simple terms, the ethnic minority groups of Myanmar have been fighting almost
70 years for freedom from an oppressive government.
There are more than 135 ethnic minorities in Myanmar, and some of the ethnic communities
have formed militarized rebel factions.
Currently, The United Wa State Army, The Kachin Independence Army, and the Karen National
Union are some of the largest rebel groups in the region.
And they control a significant portion of Myanmar.
In 2011, twelve of the factions came together to form a union committed to combining efforts
towards a unified state.
Currently, the Myanmar government is a purported civilian democracy, but it has had a long
history of military dictatorship.
Although there have been more attempts at peace recently, Myanmar is still regarded
as a highly-oppressive and corrupt nation.
In 2014, the Corruption Perceptions Index, ranked Myanmar as 156th out of 175 countries
- tied with Cambodia and Zimbabwe.
In 2014, a report by Harvard researchers found that there was sufficient evidence to arrest
leaders in the Myanmar government for taking part in war crimes.
Myanmar government militaries have reportedly bombed villages and killed innocent people
around the country.
Since 2011, politicians have been working on a nationwide ceasefire to stop the violence.
Refugees International estimates that the conflict has displaced more than a million
people.
Hope for an end to the violence may lie with Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1991, and has plans to run for president of Myanmar in the future.
The borders between two countries can also get pretty messy sometimes.
To learn about the conflict between Dominican Republic and Haiti, check out our video.
As always, thank you for watching, and please subscribe.