MYANMAR A. Political Situations Since 2021, Myanmar has been in a state of civil war following a coup d’état led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on February 1, 2021. The coup overthrew the government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD), which had won a majority of votes in the November 2020 election. The junta claimed election fraud as justification for staging the coup, a claim observers have found baseless224. The National Unity Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (NUG), formed by elected lawmakers and parliamentary members ousted in the coup, was subsequently established. The NUG later created the People’s Defense Force as its armed wing. Over time, the military has struggled to gain full control of the country, leading to widespread clashes between military forces and resistance groups. 224. “Myanmar Election: No Evidence of Fraud in 2020 Vote, Observers Say.” BBC News, 17 May 2021, www. bbc.com/news/world-asia-57144397. 53