Myanmar’s army did wonders again on Tuesday, the infamous junta for its attacks on civilians, carried out airstrikes on the opposition assembly In the rebel-held Sagaing area, more than 100 people were killed, including women and children. The National Unity Government (NUG), a parallel administration formed by opposition groups, as well as witnesses said that a fighter jet and a combat helicopter bombed a gathering that was celebrating the opening of an administrative office of the NUG; The regime, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, calls it a “terrorist unit”. The junta later confirmed the attack, but said most of those killed were resistance fighters. The attacks actually show the junta’s growing weaknesses rather than strengths in the country’s ongoing civil war. In the past, the main opposition military regimes faced was the nonviolent democratic movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi. But after a February 2021 coup that toppled an increasingly popular Ms. Suu Kyi (her National League for Democracy won back-to-back elections), the country slid into a civil war between the regime and the NUG. The NUG and its armed wing, the People’s Defense Force (PDF), have joined hands with ethnic militias to oust the army. The army has lost many areas, mostly sparsely populated rural and jungle areas. Unable to recover lost ground, it has relied on airstrikes to weaken the opposition.
The junta faces pressure from resistance groups, but it still controls most of the country’s population centers. The generals’ current approach is to hold onto areas under their control while continuing to use disproportionate force against opposition fighters and civilians in rebel-held areas. With tacit support from Russia and China and silence from India, General Min Aung Hlaing does not face any regional pressure either. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had earlier proposed a five-point peace plan, urging an end to hostilities and starting an inclusive dialogue. But the generals have refused to talk to the opposition and are not ready to share power. However, the status quo is not sustainable. Regional powers cannot look away when an autocratic regime continues to kill its own people with impunity. A peaceful resolution in Myanmar is essential to the stability of Southeast Asia, and therefore, ASEAN and regional powers such as Russia, China and India should not view the civil conflict as an internal problem of Myanmar. He should use his economic and political clout to force the generals to stop violence and negotiate with the opposition. The only sustainable, long-term and just solution to Myanmar’s myriad woes is the restoration of its democracy under a federal constitutional order. The first step to achieving this goal is to end violence.