As the saying goes, in war, the first casualty is truth. Since the onset of armed resistance in Myanmar, the people have heavily relied on social media for news. Often, the reports shared on these platforms are victory-heavy, celebrating the resistance’s successes, yet sometimes criticized for offering false hope. The number of casualties and skirmishes, for example, is sometimes “exaggerated,” as verifying news on the ground remains challenging.
Since Operation 1027, however, we’ve seen tangible progress from our freedom fighters across the country. As of now, Rakhine State stands on the verge of becoming the first region to be freed from the regime’s power. The victories in Rakhine hold great potential to spread the fight further into the Ayeyarwaddy Region along the coast. Skirmishes have only intensified nationwide. The regime is now largely limited to airstrikes and strongholds in major cities. Even the Yangon-Mandalay Express is targeted by resistance forces, resulting in the arrests of regime staff in December.
While we may sometimes appear overly optimistic about the outcome of this fight, the regime is indeed losing ground on multiple fronts. It is important to note that these victories still heavily rely on various ethnic armed organizations across the country, and the unity among these groups cannot be underestimated. The downfall of the regime will only be possible if we continue to build trust and solidarity in this struggle against dictatorship.
With that, we enter 2025, our hopes and goals undiminished.
Read our latest magazine with the highlights from December here: Download
