Nineteen resistance groups form Spring Revolution Alliance to oppose junta

Nineteen independent resistance groups announced the formation of the Spring Revolution Alliance (SRA) on Tuesday, uniting under a new coalition to oppose military rule and pursue federal democracy. The alliance brings together armed groups that emerged in the wake of the 2021 military coup, including ethnic forces based in Karenni and Shan states as well as Mon and Chin groups allied with the powerful Arakan Army. Through the formation of a coalition and a well-coordinated command structure, it will allow resistance groups to speed up military operations, but also improve coordination and respond to challenges more effectively, a spokesperson from the Spring Revolution Alliance told Myanmar Now. “Despite our differences and the fact that we are scattered across many places, we share a common enemy and a shared goal, and we want the international community to see our unity,” Min Htet Han, the spokesperson of the Spring Revolution Alliance said. “We are ready to work with any armed groups that share our goals, and we will continue talks with other organisations to expand the alliance,” he added.Some of the armed groups involved in the Spring Revolution Alliance are working with the civilian National Unity Government (NUG), and some maintain particularly strong ties with it, although he says the new alliance will be able to fill in gaps that the NUG may have struggled with. Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) troops take part in basic military training. The group is among the resistance forces that have joined the newly formed Spring Revolution Alliance. (Photo: KNDF) Khun Bedu, chair of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), told Myanmar Now that the alliance was formed to strengthen unity among post-coup resistance groups and to develop a more systematic chain of command in the fight against the junta.“Nearly five years into the revolution, we have learned many lessons,” Khun Bedu said. “One of the main challenges is that this is a long-term struggle. Some say a revolution like this can take more than a decade. And what we understand now is that we must review the systems we currently have, particularly the lack of a clear chain of command.”“The first priority is to bring together newly formed organisations. We are not older groups, and we are not driven by business or political interests. Our main goal is to establish a federal democratic system in this country.”Khun Bedu highlighted that the expansion of resistance-held areas after the coup created space for armed groups to meet and coordinate, with discussions held in southern and northern Myanmar as well as other regions. Those talks, he said, ultimately led to the creation of the Spring Revolution Alliance to unite groups that formed roughly five years after the military takeover.The civilian National Unity Government told Myanmar Now on Tuesday that it has welcomed the newly formed coalition, describing the unification of resistance forces as a positive development for the resistance movement. “The unity of all resistance forces, aimed at uprooting the military’s oppressive system across Myanmar, is a significant boost for the revolution and a matter that greatly worries the military regime,” Nay Phone Latt, the spokesperson of NUG told Myanmar Now.“The formation of this joint military alliance is something we welcome, and others should welcome too.”The announcement comes amid a crowded and often fragmented resistance landscape, where alliances have formed and shifted since the 2021 coup. One of the most prominent is the Brotherhood Alliance—comprising the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA)—which has coordinated major military operations across northern Myanmar.Several of the country’s most powerful ethnic armed organisations have not joined the Spring Revolution Alliance. It remains unclear whether those groups are avoiding formal alignment for strategic, political or territorial reasons.While challenges lie ahead, a representative of the Chin Brotherhood, one of the ethnic armed groups involved in the new alliance, said that the coalition’s core principle of unity and shared vision will help them overcome divisions. “We are all coming together and everyone is joining willingly,”said Salai Yaw Mang. “We need to form close alliances and stay connected. As each group grows stronger, managing its own affairs becomes difficult, and coordinating multiple groups presents its own challenges. But you have to wait and see how successful our mission is in the coming future.” Back in Karenni State, Khun Bedu underlined that it is crucial for the international community to be fully aware that the resistance is still strong, unified, and fully pursuing federal democracy without plans to compromise with the junta. “If ethnic armed organisations can come together as well, it would be a significant achievement and a clear message that we are standing together,” he said. He added that the alliance was intended to counter the junta’s election narrative and prepare resistance groups for show of force, while challenging the military’s claim that it faces little opposition. “We will continue to develop operational plans step by step, with the aim of becoming a more effective coalition. Transforming into a structured military organisation—and eventually a governing authority—will take much more time, but this is our long-term vision, and we intend to move toward it.”

Nineteen resistance groups form Spring Revolution Alliance to oppose junta

New coalition says it aims to improve coordination and command among post-coup armed groups while pursuing federal democracy

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