Footage from an unknown date shows Myanmar (Burma) rebels engaging forces of the military junta that now controls the national government following a recent coup.

Although the video quality is low, flags worn by one of the fighters, along with their professionally-trained military appearance, indicates that these militants are likely Karenni rebels of the predominantly Christian Karen state.

Although pro-democracy militant groups have been fighting against the military junta since the coup in February 2021, these Karenni rebels have been fighting for the survival of their cultural existence for decades, much like the Rohingya Muslims in other parts of Myanmar, where the Burmese military, which is mainly Buddhist, has outlawed religious practices and taken genocidal measures against those of different ethnicities.

While the fighting in Myanmar is probably at its worst in decades, now is probably the best opportunity for the ethnic minorities to carve out their own independence, or at least recognition, as the Burmese military is stretched thin, fighting on many fronts.

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