Pro-government ethnic militias in east Myanmar shift loyalty to join fighters against military rule
The Statesman|June 27, 2023
Units of an ethnic militia in eastern Myanmar that is nominally part of the military have switched sides, allying themselves with the country’s pro-democracy movement, and have carried out attacks in recent weeks on army outposts and a police station, its members said.
Pro-government ethnic militias in east Myanmar shift loyalty to join fighters against military rule

The two Border Guard Forces units in Kayah state are believed to be the first military-affiliated militia units to change sides since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

The takeover was met with peaceful nationwide protests, but after security forces cracked down with lethal force many local armed resistance groups formed and have been loosely organized into what is called the People’s Defense Force. They have allied themselves with major ethnic guerrilla groups in border regions that have carried out armed struggle for decades, seeking greater autonomy.

This story is from the June 27, 2023 edition of The Statesman.

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This story is from the June 27, 2023 edition of The Statesman.

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