success of peacebuilding interventions is reliant on the level of understanding of the conflict causes. Overview of Conflict in Myanmar Myanmar has one of the longest running civil conflicts in the world; the conflict is extremely multifaceted with a prolonged history of both ethnic rivalry and a struggle for democracy. Military Rule Military authoritarianism took over Myanmar through a coup d'etat, after the fourteen years of post-colonial democratic governance that followed independence from the British in 1948.24 The military junta kept a tight control over any prodemocracy movements and engaged in brutal counterinsurgency campaigns aimed at denying rebels food, funding, information, and the platform necessary to gain supporters. To protect themselves from rebellion, the government limited access to the internet and severely restricted all forms of information gathering and dissemination, enforcing jail sentences on anyone who publishes unauthorized materials.25 The military are also believed to have nullified election results, according to which pro-democratic movements have rightfully won; the most famous case of which being in 1990 when the National League for democracy (NLD) won a substantial parliamentary majority. In 2011, Myanmar’s military government began to introduce gradual political and economic reforms and released around two thousand political prisoners. However, concerns remain about the pace of constitutional reforms and its treatment of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities.26 24 Worland, S., & Vaddhanaphuti, C., (2013) ‘Religious expressions of spirituality by displaced Karen from Burma: The need for a spiritually sensitive social work response’, International Social Work, vol.56, pp.384-402, p.40. 25 Human Rights Foundation of Monland, (2008) ‘Suppressed: Freedom of Speech in Burma’, available at: http://rehmonnya.org/archives/124 [November 2015]. 26 Human Rights Foundation of Monland, (2008). - 19 -