Five Years After the Coup, Myanmar Is Worse Off Than Ever

This Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of Myanmar’s military coup, which plunged the country into escalating violence, mass arrests, economic collapse and a deepening humanitarian crisis as the junta continued its brutal campaign against civilians.

To finance military spending, the regime has seized foreign currency holdings, in some cases blocking or restricting the import of basic necessities like medicines in an effort to prevent valuta from flowing out of the country. As a result, people face severe daily hardships amid soaring commodity prices.

Thousands have been killed or detained, millions displaced, and arson attacks and airstrikes on civilian targets have become routine, even as the regime tries to legitimize itself through widely rejected elections and faces ongoing isolation from the international community.