On 1 February Myanmar’s military, headed by Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, overthrew the civilian-led government. The coup was launched in response to the decisive victory of the National League for Democracy in the November 2020 elections, where military-backed candidates were comprehensively defeated. The situation in the country remains extremely volatile, with troops deployed in all major cities and a deadly crackdown on peaceful civilian protests.
The same generals leading the coup are responsible for the 2017 genocide against the Rohingya population in Rakhine state, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity against populations in Shan, Kachin and Rakhine states.
Through the expertise of two minority activists from Myanmar, Myra Dahgaypaw and Wai Wai Nu, we discuss how the military has committed atrocities in the past, if the coup poses an increased risk to minorities now, and what the international community can and should do to protect populations in Myanmar.
