Inside Myanmar’s five-year armed resistance – a photo essay

Five years after the 2021 military coup, pro-democracy resistance fighters and ethnic armed groups across Myanmar are currently facing a massive counter-offensive launched by the ruling junta to reclaim strategic territories lost during the ongoing civil war. The military government's intensified operations target diverse rebel factions that have spent half a decade challenging the regime's authority in nearly every corner of the nation. This escalation marks a critical turning point in the conflict, as the junta attempts to reassert total control over a population that has largely rejected its rule since the overthrow of the elected government. In the southernmost region of Tanintharyi, the dynamics of the struggle are particularly visible through the lens of local guerrilla units. Unlike some northern areas where large-scale conventional battles occur, the resistance in the south remains characterized by mobile, youth-led revolutionary groups that have successfully contained military advances through hit-and-run tactics and community-based defense. These fighters, many of whom were students or urban professionals before the coup, have spent five years adapting to the harsh realities of jungle warfare while maintaining their commitment to a federal democratic future. The human cost of this prolonged stalemate continues to rise as the military employs heavy artillery and airstrikes against both combatants and civilian infrastructure. Despite the junta’s superior firepower and the initiation of this latest nationwide offensive, the resistance movement shows no signs of splintering. Instead, the diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds of the rebels have fostered an unprecedented level of national unity against the military leadership, turning the conflict into a multi-front struggle for the country's very identity and governance structure.