Article
Myanmar: A Trail of Endless Conflict

By : Ingudam Yaipharemba Singh, Takhellambam Nepolin

Page No: 466-487

Abstract:
A brutal civil war has raged in Myanmar for over four years since the military overthrew the elected government. Thousands of young Myanmarese joined an armed rebellion against the junta. Urban guerrillas and Generation Z, composed primarily of city youth, staged a ferocious form of resistance. During the revolution, young people took up arms to fight as a People’s Defence Force. Ethnic insurgents, having decades of combat experience, even trained and guided some of the newly formed youth battalions. However, the reality of war can be devastating; it destroys the future of many. This study explores Myanmar’s complex struggle in the context of changing geopolitics. While the junta has called for elections in the country on December 28 this year, given the bitter legacy of coups, repression, many deaths and continuous fighting, Myanmar’s return to democracy will be both challenging and complex. In a deeply fractured country, violence and conflict are likely to persist, especially in ethnic strongholds, where a bid will be made to capture power, and the minds of the people. It is difficult to envision the possibility of the military relinquishing its hold on political power any time soon.
 

Authors:
Dr. Ingudam Yaipharemba Singh is an Assistant Professor and Head at the Department of National Security Studies, Manipur University.
Takhellambam Nepolin is a Research Scholar, Department of National Security Studies, Manipur University
 

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2025.08.04.4