Some thoughts on the current coup and crisis that hangs over Burma. While the narratives that are currently filling the airwaves are from courageous activists in Yangon, it is vital that ethnic minority voices are listened to.

While for some a nightmare is returning, for others it never stopped. Since 2015, life may have improved for communities in the centre, but ethnic communities in all corners of the country have faced increased conflict, genocide, razing of villages, land grabs, militarisation.

During this time the NLD government has consistently given cover to the Tatmadaw, with ASSK even traveling to the Hague to defend them against a genocide.

Land grabbing has significantly increased – with a vast majority being carried out in ethnic areas - 70% of VFV land is located there. The NLD government has done little to nothing to address this situation, having eyes only on increasing investment at any cost to communities.

Further, ethnic electoral representation in the country has hardly increased under FPP and an extremely centralized central government. Accounts of voter fraud can be found across the country, many feel parties feel that they lost unfairly to the NLD.

The NLD and the CBD movement calls are for reinstatement of NLD leadership and a return to the status quo. These calls fail to include repealing of the 2008 constitution, addressing military war crimes, or for that matter dismantling of the military itself.

What interests would ethnic communities have in a return to the status quo, to life under the 2008 constitution? And why would they show solidarity for a movement which is once again ignoring the extreme sufferings of ethnic communities?

It is this that the TMD are exploiting, as they seek to make deals with ethnic parties across the country. A movement that doesn't show solidarity to ethnic ppl will not be able to elicit solidarity from them, and without the broad support - it will inevitably fail.