A year since the coup, ethnic armed groups are at the forefront of Myanmar’s civil war

Twelve months after Myanmar’s military seized power again, armed ethnic groups are central to the country’s continuing resistance, reports Allegra Mendelson in Phnom Penh

Members of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) at a training camp in an area controlled by ethnic Karen rebels in Myanmar (Reuters)

In the year since the military staged a coup, Myanmar has descended into conflict, with fighting breaking out in all corners of the country and the death toll climbing each day.

While Myanmar is no stranger to military takeovers, for the first time in the country’s history, a nationwide armed resistance has emerged, officially declaring war on the military regime in early September.

But while many of those who have recently picked up arms are new to Myanmar’s armed struggle, other groups, known as the Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs), have been at war with the military for decades.