India rethinks Myanmar policy amid border shifts and rising tensions

Mizzima

India is recalibrating its relationship with Myanmar in response to the latter’s escalating conflict and shifting territorial control, according to a new report from the International Crisis Group (ICG). The briefing, titled “A Rebel Border: India’s Evolving Ties with Myanmar after the Coup,” details how New Delhi is delicately balancing its longstanding ties with Myanmar’s military junta while increasingly engaging with opposition forces now dominating the shared frontier.

Following Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, India initially maintained close relations with the junta, prioritizing security cooperation and infrastructure initiatives like the $500 million Kaladan transport project, vital for connecting India’s northeast to the Bay of Bengal. However, the military’s weakening grip and the rise of resistance groups, particularly in Chin and Rakhine States, have forced India to diversify its outreach.