With continued talk of a federal army within Myanmar’s anti-coup opposition, ethnic armed organisations in Shan state, among the country’s most powerful and potentially vital to a successful resistance force, are held back by mistrust of the unity government and one another
In Myanmar’s Shan state, therolling hills and limestone caves across the vast territory have long harboured deep ethnic divisions and territorial disputes. As efforts to topple the military regime continue to mount following the February 1 coup, the ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) of Shan State, among the most powerful in the country, have become coveted allies for the anti-junta movement.
This picture taken on February 3, 2015 shows Shan State Army – South (SSA-S) soldiers marching through the town of Lot Tai Leng, in Myanmar’s northeastern Shan State, a few days ahead of the 68th Shan National Day celebrations which were held on February 7 at the SSA-S headquarters in Loi Tai Leng. The Shan National Day marks the unification of many Shan principalities into a single Shan State in 1947. The SSA-S is one of the largest rebel groups in Burma and fights in Shan State for self-determination of the Shan people in Myanmar. Though a ceasefire was signed in 2011 sporadic fighting continues between the SSA-S and the Myanmar army. Myanmar’s government on February 12, 2015 held a somber ceremony marking the nation’s symbolic unification after the colonial era, but a coveted ceasefire with ethnic rebel groups remained out of reach as conflict sweeps across northern borderlands. AFP PHOTO / KC Ortiz (Photo by KC Ortiz / AFP)
