Myanmar’s military, which ruled the country for decades before the transition to a quasi-civilian government began in 2011, has a history of violence and impunity.
Armed forces chief Min Aung Hlaing, who led the coup, also directed the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya minority in the western state of Rakhine, which the United Nations has said was carried out with “genocidal intent“.
“The security forces’ approach could take an even darker turn fast,” the International Crisis Group warned in a briefing released on Wednesday.
“Soldiers and armoured vehicles have begun to reinforce the police lines and, should the generals become impatient with the status quo, could easily become the sharp end of a bloody crackdown, as has happened in the past.”