Description: Myanmar’s ruling military junta has declared the influential border rebel group called the Karen National Union (KNU) a terrorist organization. The declaration meant that KNU and all of its affiliate organizations among the broader rebel alliance would be subjected to prosecution for all and any activities in subverting the country’s elections, announced for 28 Dec. Representatives from the KNU quickly dismissed the military’s designation claiming that the junta was the one that was projecting illegal governing power in the country and has repeatedly failed to meet demands outlined by the several rebel groups fighting against them. The armed wing of the KNU, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) alongside seven other rebel groups controlling larger swathes of territory alongside the country’s borders announced they planned on sabotaging the elections in Dec as they ruled the military as illegitimate.
Impact: The military junta in Myanmar is aiming at suppressing armed opposition from the rebel groups by declaring the organizations as terrorists and inciting the furtherance of the civil war. The rebel groups on the other hand are organized within a fragile coalition with differentiating interests and fluctuating influence across regions in the country which are resource – rich. The designation by the military junta effectively escalates tensions and diminishes attempts for establishing a diplomatic rapport with the rebels in any region which signals that the civil war in the country would substantially escalate in the next couple of months before the crucial elections.