Insurgents from the  Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, in alliance with the PDF and supported by front-line medics of the Free Burma Rangers (a multi-ethnic humanitarian movement), gather in the jungle before launching an attack on a junta military base in Hpasawng township, Kayah (Karenni) State, Myanmar.
2025 Photo Contest - Asia-Pacific and Oceania - Stories

A Nation in Conflict

Photographer

Ye Aung Thu

22 January, 2024

Insurgents from the  Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, in alliance with the PDF and supported by front-line medics of the Free Burma Rangers (a multi-ethnic humanitarian movement), gather in the jungle before launching an attack on a junta military base in Hpasawng township, Kayah (Karenni) State, Myanmar.

Myanmar has been racked by internal conflict for decades, most recently a 2021 military coup, which sparked widespread protests. Harsh junta retaliation, including firing on protesters with live rounds, night raids to arrest dissidents, and interrogation, torture, and executions led to armed opposition, and revolution. Different civilian militias, loosely organized into the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), escalated resistance in 2024.  

As these ethnic insurgent groups are located around the country, the Myanmar military found itself fighting on numerous fronts, from the borderlands near India, China, and Thailand to the country’s heartland. In 2024 it suffered its worst losses so far. The United States Institute for Peace (USIP) reports 91 towns and 167 military battalions now controlled by rebel forces, but sees no resolution in sight. It predicts the conflict is likely to escalate in urban areas and central Myanmar in 2025, and be exacerbated should the military junta attempt to hold elections.

The photographer lived through a 1988 military coup, aged six, and saw history repeat itself when his own son was six in 2021. He has since traveled across the country, documenting different insurgent groups, and observing how, since the military junta has introduced mandatory conscription for people over 18, Myanmar is losing a generation: so many are joining insurgent militia, or leaving the country.


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Ye Aung Thu
About the photographer

Ye Aung Thu is an award-winning Burmese photographer. He is widely recognized for his striking images of life in Myanmar and across Asia. With over a decade of experience, he has covered major events such as the SEA Games, the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, and the Basketball World Cup 2019, and photographed globa...

Read the full biography
Technical information
Shutter Speed

1/800

Focal length

28mm

F-Stop

f/2.8

ISO

320

Camera

Z 6_2

Jury comment

The jury was moved by the photographer's continued commitment to reporting on the Myanmar civil war since the 2021 junta launched a military coup. The strong selection effectively captures the different elements of people's experiences within the People's Defence Force. The great lengths the  photographer took to document and bring visibility to this ongoing conflict is a powerful testament to their dedication to the subject.