Myanmar is on the verge of an intensifying civil war due to the country’s military rule. The military’s displacement of Aung San Suu Kyi in February caused chaos and an impending nationwide revolution. The oust destroyed a decade of preliminary steps towards democracy. All at once, it created immediate wrath at home and abroad.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said, “Conflict, poverty and the effects of the pandemic are sharply increasing, and the country faces a vortex of repression, violence and economic collapse. These disturbing trends suggest the alarming possibility of an escalating civil war.”
She added that the country’s indestructibility and trajectory to democracy and abundance went to sacrifice for the last months. It is to support the ambitions of a powerful and established military nobility.
Bachelet mentioned that over 1,100 people already died because of the security forces’ actions since the coup. Over 8,000 others faced arrest, including children, while 4,700 were still in detention. The national ramifications are horrible and catastrophic, which is also extreme. She urged the international community to reinforce its efforts to re-establish democracy. Her other concern is to forfend a more profound hostility before it’s too late.
The former Chilean president likewise persuaded all involved parties to enable unrestricted access to charitable aids. She also requested the speedy release of political prisoners. At the same time, Bachelet asked all armed forces to defend civilians and stop airstrikes and tanks in residential areas.
Looming Civil War Forms Armed Resistance Forces
Various regions created armed resistance forces that collided with the military. Thousands of people have left their homes, including neighboring India, in the past few days.
On Thursday, civilians from the Sagaing Region need to run away from their village. Military forces burned their houses to ashes and shot residents without mercy. The violence in the said region occurred a day following the fleeing of thousands of people to Chin. It’s a state near India’s bound after a clash between military and anti-coup dissidents.
Myanmar’s local media disclosed murderous violence in five different areas. Guerillas allied with National Unity Government (NUG) used homemade bombs against the generals. The military called the opposing group and its supporters “terrorists,” which crusade will be unsuccessful.
Western countries criticized the military and established selected sanctions. However, critics note that stricter measures are necessary, which include applying embargoes on weapons.
Judge Orders Release of Closed Myanmar Accounts Records
US federal judge Zia Faruqui implored Facebook to release records associated with accounts it closed in 2018. The said accounts connect to government-backed violence in Myanmar, while the social media platform deals with the effects.
The Washington magistrate judge condemned Facebook for not providing the records to countries after a case against Myanmar in an international trial.
The Gambia filed a genocide claim against the social media giant before the International Court of Justice. It alleges Facebook to have a significant role in Myanmar’s genocide effort on the ethnic and religious group Rohingya. Facebook acknowledged its failure to respond immediately regarding its part in the annihilation plot. Moreover, it verified its removal of Myanmar government agents’ accounts and content amid the ongoing attack.
Facebook snapped back at Gambia’s request for releasing the records. It stated that it’s a violation of the social media platform’s right to privacy, and the demand is excessively onerous.
