JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Myanmar military’s lethal crackdown on protesters in large central cities has received much of the attention since the coup two months ago. But far away in the borderlands, millions of people from Myanmar’s myriad ethnic groups face increasing uncertainty and waning security as longstanding conflicts between the military and minority guerrilla armies flare anew. The situation was thrust to the forefront when the military launched deadly airstrikes against ethnic Karen guerrillas along the eastern border, displacing thousands of people. Several of the rebel armies have threatened to join forces if the killing of civilians doesn’t stop, highlighting a warning from a U.N. special envoy that Myanmar faces the possibility of civil war.
