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
With continued talk of a federal army within Myanmar’s anti-coup opposition, ethnic armed organisations in Shan state are holding back.
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)
