Poet turned militia leader Maung Saungkha, one of the most prominent figures fighting for democracy in Myanmar, says his armed group plans to start carving out territory in the country's heartlands to confront the junta more directly.
Maung Saungkha said the move is a key strategic aim for his Bamar People's Liberation Army - a militia formed in the wake of the junta's February 2021 coup - now that it has gained training from allies and battle experience in the country's borderlands. Most BPLA members are Buddhist Bamars, the ethnic group that accounts for two-thirds of the population and dominates central Myanmar where government institutions are based.
The BPLA's growth owes much to Maung Saungkha's skills in building bridges with other armed groups, according to a key ally and two analysts. It also underscores how new militias have become entrenched in Myanmar's political landscape, even if they are far from toppling the junta. Bamar dominance has long been resented by Myanmar's many minorities but Maung Saungkha's background has helped the BPLA forge strong ties with other ethnic armed organisations, delicate work seen as critical for the resistance.
The BPLA works closely with the Karen National Union , on whose territory it is based, and the Arakan Army which provided training, he said.Resistance forces have inflicted significant damage on the junta and gained territory, said Nicola Williams, analyst at the Australian National University's Myanmar Research Centre.
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