Myanmar’s powerful ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) have vowed to uproot the country’s military dictatorship, despite junta promises of peace talks and a general election.
In his new year’s speech on Sunday, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing promised greater opportunities for ethnic minorities if the armed conflict is resolved.
He also promised a general election across the country, including all ethnic groups, to protect everyone’s democratic rights.
General N’Ban La, the chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization, the political wing of the Kachin Independence Amy, said in his speech on Sunday that the junta is the enemy of all citizens.
He added that all citizens and EAOs must attack the junta decisively as no regime can resist a revolution of the entire people.
The Kachin leader said a regime that murders civilians has no right to hold an election. The international community should support Myanmar’s people and revolutionary organizations to resist military rule, Gen N’Ban La added.
The Brotherhood Alliance of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Ta’ang National Liberation Army and Arakan Army released a joint statement on Sunday saying that most of the population has been displaced and is living in fear because of the regime’s continuous war crimes and atrocities.
The alliance promised to work with resistance groups which emerged following the coup with popular support to fight the dictatorship.
It urged all revolutionary organizations to be organized and united in fighting the regime.
Brigade 5 of the Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Karen National Union, issued a final warning to all government employees to resign and leave its territory in Hpapun District, Karen State, by January 10.
It called for a boycott of any junta election.
The junta continues to commit extrajudicial killings of civilians including children, massacres, burning people alive and using civilian detainees as human shields, looting and burning houses, shelling and airstrikes on residential areas and acts of sexual violence.
An estimated 1.1 million people have been displaced since the coup and over 40,000 civilian houses have been destroyed in junta arson attacks.
By December 30, nearly 2,700 people had been killed by junta forces and around 16,704, including government leaders, have been arrested or detained since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners that monitors deaths and arrests.
