Meet the young rebels fighting against Myanmar鈥檚 junta
| Chin state, Myanmar
Joseph was studying law in Myanmar鈥檚 northwestern city of Sagaing when the military鈥檚 2021 coup plunged the country into war.
The teenage law student 鈥� who like many in Myanmar has only one name 鈥� fled on foot to India with his parents, hoping to resume his mother鈥檚 cancer treatment across the border. But after spending weeks in a refugee camp in India鈥檚 Mizoram state, watching from afar as authorities violently quashed civilian protests and jailed elected leaders, he decided to return.
鈥淚 could not tolerate what they had done to my country and our future,鈥� says Joseph, who is now an elite sniper with the Chin National Army, an ethnic rebel group based in the western Chin state. The CNA entered a cease-fire with the military in 2012 but resumed fighting, along with other armed ethnic groups across Myanmar, after the coup.
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onThe 2021 coup in Myanmar brought new blood into resistance groups. Their fresh ideas 鈥� and dedication 鈥� have been embraced by the old guard, helping build momentum against the junta.
Three years into the war, experts say Myanmar鈥檚 military, known as the Tatmadaw, is facing challenges like never before. Thanks to increased cooperation among historically fractured resistance groups, anti-junta organizations claim to now control more than half of the country. And within these groups, veteran fighters are embracing new recruits, who they say bring fresh ideas, passion, and technological savvy to battlefields and base camps across Myanmar.聽
鈥淚 have been fighting the military for quite a long time, and yet there is so much to learn about the field from these young fighters who came from colleges and universities,鈥� says 50-year-old Baiklian, who has been part of CNA for the last 25 years and recently joined the group鈥檚 new dedicated drone department.
Learning to live with loss
When he joined CNA, Joseph went through months of rigorous military training at Camp Victoria, the group鈥檚 headquarters. He was a fast learner, getting promoted to the top sniper unit early on, and recently played a key role in capturing a police station in the Rezua area of Chin state.聽
鈥淵ou need a lot of mental strength to be a sniper,鈥� says Joseph, who is now 21 years old. 鈥淏ut I know this is for ... the democracy and liberation of my people.鈥澛�
In addition to marksmanship, he鈥檚 learned that being a rebel fighter demands sacrifice. Joseph has not seen his family since joining the CNA. In June, while he was on the front line, his older sister joined a group fleeing Myanmar by boat, hoping to build a new life in Europe. He found out weeks after she had already left, and no one has heard from her since. He doesn鈥檛 know if she made it off the boat.聽
鈥淭his is what the coup does to ordinary people鈥檚 lives,鈥� he says. But what saddens him the most is the death of his comrades.聽
He鈥檚 lost several close friends in combat, most recently Arosethang Tan Lin, who was killed by junta soldiers during a mission. When Joseph accompanied Mr. Lin鈥檚 parents to their son鈥檚 fresh grave, he couldn鈥檛 hold back his tears.
鈥淲e are losing young people to this war,鈥� says Mr. Lin鈥檚 mother, Nibor, who is only 37 years old herself. 鈥淭here can be nothing more painful.鈥�
Powering through
Though the front lines are still dominated by men, veteran fighters say more women are joining CNA since the coup.
鈥淏eing a rebel fighter is not easy,鈥� says Magtalin, a former engineering student and one of most acclaimed young women in the CNA, 鈥渂ut if you are a woman, things get more difficult.鈥�
Magtalin鈥檚 rifle skills and aptitude for planning missions have won her accolades, and she鈥檚 become a role model for other women hoping to transition from office and security roles to combat. Yet even now, she says she鈥檚 never been on a mission with another woman.聽
鈥淢any times, I have got my period while on a mission in some jungle,鈥� says Magtalin, warming her hands around a fire she lit near her outpost. It鈥檚 hard to put into words how frustrating it is to have to fight and run with heavy equipment 鈥� often in the rain or biting cold 鈥撀燿uring these times, she says. 鈥淵ou cannot ask for a break in a battlefield."聽
But her commitment is unwavering.
鈥淲e will have to continue fighting,鈥� she says. 鈥淣o one is going to come for us.鈥�
When Magtalin misses her old life, she puts on some makeup and swaps her olive-colored camouflage for a T-shirt and jeans, envisioning a future free of the junta and jungle battles. Had there been no coup, she would have likely finished her education and become an electrical engineer by now.聽
Recent battlefield gains by CNA and other rebels have revived hopes that this future is possible.
Cooperation leads to gains
Since October, rebel groups in northern and western areas of Myanmar have worked together to capture several towns and military camps. Baiklian, the veteran CNA fighter, says he has 鈥渘ever seen rebel groups in Myanmar so strong and coordinated鈥� against the powerful junta.
One reason they鈥檙e seeing this new momentum, he believes, is that young fighters have brought drone technology to the rebel ranks, which has made a significant dent to the Myanmar military during the recent offensives. Young fighters use the internet to teach themselves how to make and modify drones for battlefield applications, and then share that knowledge with others. Baiklian says he recently learned how to modify drones to drop explosives onto enemy targets.聽
鈥淚t is immensely effective,鈥� he says.聽
Overall, senior CNA fighters express gratitude 鈥撀燼nd a degree of surprise 鈥撀爋ver the wave of post-coup volunteers. According to CNA officials, about 70% of the group鈥檚 5,000 members joined in the past three years. While an influx of inexperienced fighters could create tension, the blended ranks have fought harmoniously, at least in this corner of Myanmar.聽
Indeed, many CNA fighters are united in the belief that the solutions to all of Myanmar鈥檚 struggles 鈥� from political instability to lingering ethnic tensions to displaced and divided families 鈥� begin with getting the junta out.聽
Not unlike Joseph鈥檚 family, Baiklian鈥檚 wife and two daughters have been living in a refugee camp in India since the coup.
鈥淚 will not see my family till [the junta] are thrown out of power,鈥� says Baiklian. 鈥淩evolutions are fought with a huge price.鈥�
