2021 Myanmar protests

The 2021–2022 Myanmar protests began in February 2021 in response to a military coup and government takeover in Myanmar. The Myanmar military claimed it acted in response to fraud in the country’s November 2020 election, though outside experts believed the election was secure and the results were accurate. The military subsequently arrested many civilian government leaders, including supporters of the imprisoned former government leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Widespread street protests erupted in major cities. The military responded with a harsh crackdown, eventually killing hundreds of protestors through beatings and street skirmishes. The military also cracked down on journalists and social media usage, making it difficult for the international community to receive appropriate updates about events unfolding in the country.

Background

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia. A military junta ruled the country for nearly fifty years before the country approved a new constitution in 2008, and held its first election in 2010. In late 2020, the country was led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who came to office in Myanmar in 2015 when she won the country’s election by a landslide. Suu Kyi became internationally famous in the 1990s when she campaigned to end the military junta and restore democracy. The military detained her for nearly fifteen years in the 1990s and 2000s because of her desire to organize free and fair elections, winning a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts. However, after Suu Kyi took power, she faced criticism due to her government’s continued persecution of Rohingya Muslims, a minority group in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Due to the widescale displacement, imprisonment, and even murder of Rohingya, some critics have labelled the government’s actions as genocide. Despite this controversy, Suu Kyi retained her popularity.

Myanmar, with a population of nearly 54 million at the time, held presidential elections in November of that year. This was only the second such election to be held since the military implemented reforms in 2011. At that time, the country’s leader, Suu Kyi, and her National League for Democracy (NLD) won 346 seats, roughly 83 percent of the representation in the parliamentary election. This significant win would have given the party ample seats to create the country’s next government. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which was backed by the Tatmadaw, the military government, contested the election results. The Tatmadaw, which created the country’s constitution, gave itself 25 percent of parliamentary seats and controls the defense, interior, and borders ministries. The USDP claimed, without proof, that the election was marred by fraud and would not recognize the results. A spokesperson announced the military would soon take action against the civilian government. When asked if the military would be leading a coup against the civilian government, the spokesperson said that a coup would not be ruled out. Despite the claims, outside election observers noted no major voting irregularities.

On February 1, 2021, the military enacted a coup against the civilian government, rounding up and arresting many civilian government leaders, including Suu Kyi. The military prevented the NLD from ruling and established a junta called the State Administration Council. It also declared a state of emergency for one year, claiming that the military would hold elections after this. The government filed trumped-up charges against Suu Kyi and other officials that included violating Myanmar’s official secrets act and owning illegal walkie-talkies. Suu Kyi and other NLD members were rushed into secret trials and denied legal representation.

Overview

On February 2, 2021, the first protests against the military coup began as citizens in Yangon, the country’s largest city. Protest participants began banging pots and pans outside their windows to protest the military’s actions. That day, the US State Department also verified the military takeover of the country. The next day, healthcare workers went on strike, claiming that they would not work for the new military government. People in Yangon continued their protests, mostly from their homes. On February 4, workers at Mandalay University began a protest of their own. Over the following days, the protests around the country became increasingly larger and more prominent. Soon, people in Yangon began protesting on their balconies and then in the streets. Large crowds started to form in Yangon by February 6.

The military responded swiftly and harshly to the street protests. It sent security forces, made up of military and police members, into the streets to quell the crowds. From early in the protests, these security forces began firing on peaceful crowds with live ammunition. By late February, at least two protesters had been killed by security forces. Nevertheless, crowds with thousands of protestors continued to march throughout Yangon. The military then warned the people of Myanmar that protesting could get them killed.

The military, which had a long history of stifling free speech in Myanmar, cracked down on journalists and implemented an Internet blackout that made it more difficult for people inside the country to post on social media or send information about the protests. However, satellite images indicated that large crowds continued to amass, and people had painted murals with defiant messages such as “Free Our Leaders” and “We Need Democracy.” At the end of February, Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Kyaw Moe Tun, asked the body to help take control away from the military. By the next day, the ambassador had been removed from his position. Security forces killed roughly eighteen protestors and injured thirty more. Some videos of the conflicts between the security forces and protesters leaked out of the country. The graphic videos showed bodies lying in pools of blood on the streets and wounded protesters being dragged to safety by others.

Despite the extreme violence they faced, the protestors did not back down. By the end of March, the UN estimated that the security forces killed at least 138 protestors, including some children. The military had also imprisoned or otherwise detained more than two thousand people, including government officials, journalists, and protestors. The protestors, especially those leading the fights with the security forces, were largely made of young citizens. These young people had grown accustomed to a more democratic government and were not willing to give it up without a fight. One of the protestors’ main demands was to free the imprisoned civilian leaders. Other citizens helped the protest movement by taking part in a general strike. Thousands of bus drivers, factory workers, teachers, and others walked off their jobs and refused to work while the military remained in power. Protestors also continued to document the military’s crackdown on civilians, despite the threats they faced for filming or sending videos of the protests.

The military also remained strong and refused to give in to the protestors. The international watchdog group Amnesty International announced in March that the military was using weapons of war on its people during the protests. The organization also objected to the country’s use of military members in the security forces, which began using more lethal tactics against civilians as the protests continued. Amnesty International said that the military’s use of force most likely met the legal definition of crimes against humanity. The military targeted areas in the country that had become centers of resistance, including Yangon. By mid-April, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) claimed that the security forces had killed more than 550 protestors. Despite this large number of deaths, a spokesperson for the military claimed that the forces were using restraint. The spokesperson claimed that the military could kill hundreds of protestors an hour if it chose to.

In early April, some protestors wrote defiant messages on Easter eggs and displayed them in public and on social media. The protestors said that Easter was supposed to signify new life, and they wanted the world to know that they were fighting for a new life in their country. Thousands of people continued to protest in the streets, too. Reports indicated that homemade bombs had exploded in Yangon and other cities. Although international groups could not identify the source of the bombs, the military claimed that protestors had set them off.

The international community responded to the military’s use of force by implementing sanctions. These nations included the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. The United States targeted the military leader Min Aung Hlaing’s children and their businesses. The UN Security Council wrote a statement condemning the violence, but China—a permanent member of the Security Council—blocked its release. Protests were also held around the world to support the people of Myanmar.

The immediate effects of the protests in Myanmar included the shutdown of some international ports due to striking workers. Food and fuel prices also increased as supplies became harder to transport around the country. Experts believed that the protests would also have significant long-term effects on the country. The UN announced in late April 2021 that roughly half the country’s population could be pushed into poverty because of the fallout from the coup and the COVID-19 pandemic, which was still ongoing while the protests and military crackdown were taking place. By May 2021, international aid groups estimated that more than 750 protestors had been killed by security forces, though civilians claimed that the actual death toll was likely much higher.

Government repression remained severe as widespread protests continued into 2022. In January, Suu Kyi, who was set to face numerous other pending charges, was sentenced to four years in prison for violating COVID-19 protocols and possessing walkie-talkies in her home. By February of that year, the UN estimated the junta had killed roughly 1,500 people and imprisoned at least 8,800.

As resistance against the military regime intensified, the Myanmar military launched strikes against multiple towns and villages, sometimes using airstrikes or heavy artillery. Additionally, in July 2022, the junta defied strong international and domestic opposition when it executed four activists who had been imprisoned for their opposition to the regime. The four activists had been denied legal representation and convicted by a military tribunal earlier in 2022.

By the mid-2020s, the country of Myanmar was being described in terms of a failed state. The 2021 coup precipitated a civil war. On one side are forces loyal to the government who have great advantages in numbers of soldiers and types of weaponry. Opposing them is an armed insurgency comprised of pro-democracy forces. These have been termed the People’s Defense Forces. Also opposing the government are over twenty ethnic militias. These militias control various parts of the country. Together, the PDF and militias control large swaths of Myanmar. The civil war has resulted in large numbers of casualties. By 2024, an estimated 50,000 combatants and 8,000 civilians were reported killed. Added to this backdrop are the over 2.5 million Myanmar citizens who have been displaced and made refugees.

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