By 
04-09-2024
Benjamin Arenas Sanchez
Human Rights Researcher
Global Human Rights Defense
The military junta labels 3 armed groups operating in the northern and western part of Myanmar as “terrorists”. At the same time, these ethnic armed groups now have control over trade routes that account for 91 percent of the country’s trade with China.
On September 2nd, the military junta in charge of Myanmar issued a statement designating three major ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) as terrorists. The EAOs concerned are the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and the Arakan Army. These three groups formed the Three Brotherhood Alliance at the end of 2023 to launch a major offensive against the military junta who took power in February 2021. As per the national Anti-Terror Law, any association, whether it be by membership or not, is banned and considered a terror act, as per the chair of the State Administration Council, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Crisis Group, a conflict research group, estimated that at the end of August 2024 , the Arakan Army was in control of a territory with a population of around one million inhabitants. The three EAOs have advanced and taken control around territory bordering China and Thailand. A report written by the think-tank Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar states that five out of the seventeen official borders between Myanmar and its neighbours are now controlled by EAOs. The report further states that 91 percent of the border trade value between Myanmar and China is in control of the armed groups, which has seen a 41 percent decline in the total trade between the two countries.
The conflict between the military junta has been occurring since March 2021, following the overthrowing of the previous government by the military. It is classified as multiple non-international conflicts between the military junta and the EAOs. The new classification of terrorists to anyone associating with the EAOs puts more civilians at risk of becoming targets of military attacks. The label of terrorists implies that the civilian who is associating with the EAOs has become a person who takes direct part in the hostilities and is a lawful military target, as per international humanitarian law, specifically Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.
Both the military junta and the EAOs have been accused of human rights breaches, and the continuation of the conflict puts an increasing number of civilians at risk, with little care from the international community. The international community needs to come together to end the conflict and prevent any others from happening, otherwise the inhabitants of Myanmar will continue to suffer.
Sources and further readings:
‘Myanmar Regime Labels Key Ethnic Armed Groups “terrorist” Organisations’ (Al Jazeera, 4 September 2024) <https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/4/myanmar-regime-labels-key-ethnic-armed-groups-terrorist-organisations> accessed 4 September 2024
Strangio S, ‘Myanmar’s Border Trade with China and Thailand Has Collapsed’ (The Diplomat, 4 September 2024) <https://thediplomat.com/2024/09/myanmars-border-trade-with-china-and-thailand-has-collapsed/> accessed 4 September 2024
‘Non-International Armed Conflicts in Myanmar’ (Rulac) <https://www.rulac.org/browse/conflicts/non-international-armed-conflict-in-myanmar#collapse1accord> accessed 4 September 2024
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