At the beginning of May, German Solidarity Myanmar published a political briefing on the current situation in Myanmar published at the beginning of May. It describes the political and social developments in the country over the last few years since the military coup in a clear and concise manner, as well as the current situation.

We would like to give you a brief summary of the document here. You can also view the complete document at political briefing Myanmar.

Myanmar remains the scene of the worst humanitarian crisis in the Indo-Pacific region and is ranked 5th on the International Rescue Committee's 2024 Emergency Watchlist. The country also ranks second to last below North Korea on the Democracy Index (ahead of Sudan / South Sudan).

Since the coup in 2021, the positive political opening of the years has been reversed and the country has entered a downward economic, political and social trend. In addition to domestic power struggles and problems, Myanmar is also affected by climate change, from biodiversity loss to religious extremism, refugee movements and international drug trafficking. Unfortunately, it often slips into the background due to the current global unrest; resistance movements are therefore largely left to their own devices. Nevertheless, there is reason for hope: since the beginning of this year, successes of the democracy movement have been reported time and again(we reported). An international observer reports: "[...] I completely underestimated the anger, determination and sheer courage of Burma's youth as a nationwide phenomenon ... [who] have dedicated themselves to a desired revolution" as well as to "overthrowing the entire military-controlled order."

In the last year, the military has lost more ground than ever before in its history: perhaps the decisive turning point will finally come in 2024.