“Occupation” of an armed base near the border with Thailand announced by one of the largest rebel organizations in Myanmar, which opposes the military junta imposed by the February 1st coup.
“Our forces have taken over” in the province of Karen in southeastern Myanmar, Panto So To Ne, a senior member of the Karen National Union (KNU), told AFP. He did not specify if there were any casualties or how many.
“We heard the shots”, said a resident of the village of May Sam Lap, on the other side of the border. “No one dared to stay,” he said, fearing retaliation from the former Burmese military.
Tensions between the army and some of Myanmar’s rebel groups have risen sharply since the coup, according to AMBE.
The Karen National Union, which faces with open hostility to the military junta, says it hosts in the territories it controls at least 2,000 substitutes who left urban centers, many of which were turned into brothels by the security forces.
In late March, the KNU captured a first base of the armed forces, killing ten soldiers.
The army then responded by launching airstrikes against strongholds of the Karen National Union. These were the first airstrikes in the area in twenty years.
About 24,000 civilians were displaced by the hostilities.
After Burma gained its independence (from the United Kingdom) in 1948, many armed groups that formed members of ethnic minorities became involved in clashes with central government forces to secure more autonomy, recognition, and access to revenue. exploitation of natural resources, or even part of the proceeds of drug trafficking.
From 2015 onwards, the military signed the selected national ceasefire agreement with ten of them, including the KNU.
But in the face of the bloody repression after the military coup, many speculated that they would take up arms again.
More than 750 civilians have been killed by security forces in the past two months, according to the Association for Aid to Political Prisoners.
The real toll could be even heavier: nearly 3,500 people have been arrested, with many being held in secret locations without access to their own or access to counsel. Many are described as missing.
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