Myanmar

Why is Myanmar's junta holding an election during a civil war? - explainer

Myanmar’s junta-led election is widely viewed as a bid to legitimize military power amid civil war, low turnout, and the exclusion of opposition parties.

|ByREUTERS
Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted the elected government in a coup, presides at an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, March 27, 2021; illustrative.
Election Commission officials count ballots at a polling station during Myanmar's general election in Yangon, Myanmar, December 28, 2025; illustrative.

Final phase of Myanmar's election underway, military-backed party set to win

Myanmar opened polling stations for the final phase of a junta-led election, with low turnout, ongoing fighting, and a military-backed party poised to consolidate power.

|ByREUTERS
Judges arrive at the International Court of Justice at the start of a hearing where South Africa requests new emergency measures over Israel's attacks on Rafah, as part of an ongoing case South Africa filed at the ICJ in December last year, The Hague, Netherlands May 17, 2024.

Case accusing Myanmar of genocide against Rohingya to open at ICJ

The outcome will have repercussions beyond Myanmar, likely affecting South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ against Israel over the war in Gaza.

|ByREUTERS, SHOSHANA BAKER, LARA SUKSTER MOSHEYOF
Police officers stand guard at a polling station inside a school ahead of a general election, in Thingangyun Township, Yangon, Myanmar, December 27, 2025.

Myanmar to free over 6,000 prisoners in Independence Day amnesty amid general election

The junta also reduced sentences by one-sixth nationwide, excluding those convicted of serious crimes such as murder, rape, terrorism, corruption, and arms- or drug-related offenses.

|ByREUTERS

United against coup Myanmar's ethnic groups set aside divisions

"What is happening right now is not about party politics."

FEBRUARY 11, 2021ByREUTERS
Demonstrators protest against the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, February 6, 2021.

Myanmar police fire into air to disperse protest

At least three people were hurt by rubber bullets in the capital Naypyitaw, a doctor said.

FEBRUARY 9, 2021ByREUTERS
A girl holds a picture of Myanmar's army chief Min Aung Hlaing with his face crossed out as Myanmar citizens protest against the military coup in Myanmar outside United Nations venue in Bangkok, Thailand February 6, 2021.

Myanmar coup opponents defy bans as protests resume - Watch

The civil disobedience movement, led by hospital workers, has resulted in a plunge in coronavirus tests, official testing figures showed.

FEBRUARY 9, 2021ByREUTERS
Demonstrators protest against the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, February 6, 2021.

Myanmar: Thousands gather for second day of street protests

On Saturday, tens of thousands took to the streets in the first mass protests since the coup.

FEBRUARY 7, 2021ByREUTERS
Demonstrators protest against the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, February 6, 2021.

What happens next with Myanmar? - opinion

What happens now? Probably a new president and commander-in-chief will replace Min Aung Hlaing within weeks, and then another prolonged period of military rule.

FEBRUARY 6, 2021ByGWYNNE DYER
A CHILD in Bangkok holds a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday, after the military seized power in Myanmar.

Myanmar generals shut down internet as thousands protest coup

Monitoring group NetBlocks Internet Observatory reported a "national-scale internet blackout."

FEBRUARY 6, 2021ByREUTERS
Residents of Yangon light candles outside their houses to show their disapproval of the recent military coup in Myanmar, Feb. 2, 2021.

Myanmar’s tiny Jewish community is rattled after military coup

British rule ended when the Japanese bombed Rangoon on Christmas Day, 1941, and invaded the country at the outset of World War II. Many Burmese Jews fled to India and never returned.

FEBRUARY 6, 2021ByBEN FRANK/JTA
Inside the Musmeach Yeshua Synagogue in Yangon, Myanmar

UN Security Council calls for release of Myanmar's Suu Kyi, others

Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi, 75, has not been seen since her arrest.

FEBRUARY 4, 2021ByREUTERS
Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi smiles at supporters as she celebrates Thingyan in front of her home in Yangon

Myanmar’s military arrests the civilian gov't – and democracy - opinion

The collapse of the power-sharing arrangement between the armed forces and civilian government fits a troubled historical pattern.

FEBRUARY 4, 2021ByJONATHAN T. CHOW, LEIF-ERIC EASLEY
Myanmar army armoured vehicles drive past a street after they seized power in a coup in Mandalay

Myanmar junta blocks Facebook as opposition grows to coup

Facebook was still available sporadically and demonstrators in the second city of Mandalay used it to livestream the first such street protest since the coup.

FEBRUARY 4, 2021ByREUTERS
Myanmar army armoured vehicles drive past a street after they seized power in a coup in Mandalay