Myanmar’s failed military regime is unsettling the whole region

Source– The post is based on the article “Myanmar’s failed military regime is unsettling the whole region” published in The Indian Express on 12th January 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- India and its neighbourhood

Relevance– India and Myanmar relations

News– The article explains the internal fighting in Myanmar and its destabilising potential for its neighbouring countries.

What are the internal security challenges faced by Myanmar?

The military regime in Myanmar has failed to establish control over the country .

Ethnic militias have joined hands with pro-democracy civilians.They have taken up arms against the military since the February 2021 coup.

The junta’s confrontation with these groups is evident in the Chin state. For nearly a decade, Chin was one of Myanmar’s relatively peaceful border states. Chin National Army is the armed wing of the Chin National Front. It had  signed a ceasefire in 2012 with the then military government.

After the coup, the CNF joined hands with the National Unity Government, the political leaders of the pro-democracy struggle in Myanmar.

Another ethnic organisation called the Chin National Organisation also came up two months after the coup. It has its own armed wing called the Chin National Defence Organisation.

Every township in Chin state has its own people’s militia called the Chin Defence Force.

CNF-CNA headquarters located right on the Mizoram-Chin border, has been training hundreds of volunteers who have signed up to take on the junta.

How does it create security challenges for the neighbouring States of Myanmar?

The Chin state lies in the proximity of the Mizoram side. it also directly threatens the stability of the entire Northeast region. Mizoram has given refuge to over 40,000 Chin people. Refugees have crossed over into Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh as well.

Bangladesh has been impacted by the Rohingya influx.

Continuous fighting in Kachin near the Chinese border has security implications for China.

What is the way forward for stability in Myanmar?

The country’s ethnic groups who live along its borders do not trust the military to give them federal autonomy.

Peace in Myanmar and along its boundaries will come only with real democracy.