Sagaing resistance names interim chief as parallel government takes shape

Sagaing Region’s civilian-led interim government, the Sagaing Federal Unit Hluttaw, appointed a new chief minister on Monday, formalising a regional government in an area where resistance forces hold significant territorial control.Soe Oo, a former National League for Democracy (NLD) politician, won his seat in Sagaing Township’s Constituency 1 in 2015 and went on to serve as the region’s planning and finance minister under the NLD civilian government. He was re-elected as a regional MP in the 2020 polls, securing a second mandate before the coup. He was confirmed as Sagaing Region Chief Minister on Monday at the sixth regular session of the Sagaing Federal Unit Hluttaw, formed by elected regional parliamentarians after the 2021 coup. The Sagaing Federal Unit is a legislative body established by the resistance-aligned civilian administration tasked with drafting an interim constitution and forming an interim regional government. Its significance lies in signalling a parallel governance structure to the military junta, asserting civilian-led federalism and legitimising local resistance authority within one of Myanmar’s most contested and strategically important regions.The government will include a chief minister, deputy, cabinet ministers, self-administered area chairs and an attorney general. The formation is similar to the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC), formed by resistance forces to handle administrative and civilian matters across Karenni State. And similarly, the Chin National Front/Chin National Army and the Chinland Council have established a parallel administration in Chin State, forming a resistance-aligned governing body that directly challenges junta authority. In June, the Sagaing Federal Unit enacted its Interim Constitution, laying the groundwork for a parallel regional administration. Under that framework, an Interim Government Screening and Selection Commission was formed on October 1 to choose members of the new regional government. The 35-member commission draws five representatives each from a range of sectors: lawmakers elected in 2020, political parties, ethnic nationality groups, civil servants, People’s Administration Organizations, and a final category for individuals deemed essential to the process. In addition to naming a chief minister, the Sagaing Federal Unit appointed Myint Htwe, the representative for Yay Oo Constituency 2, as speaker, and Phyu Phyu Win, from Kawlin Constituency 1, as deputy speaker. Soe Oo, the chief minister of the Sagaing Federal Unit Interim Government, which helps coordinate administrative and security efforts in resistance-held areas of the region. "Soe Oo already has experience and is also participating in the current revolution, so we hope this will be a step forward for Sagaing," another member of the Sagaing region strike force committee told Myanmar Now. "It's a good sign that they're starting to gather under some name—whether you call it a government politically or something else—under some framework in Sagaing,” a member of the committee who requested anonymity said, pointing out that civilian bodies are expanding across the country. Myint Htwe added that cabinet ministers will also be chosen following consultations between the chief minister and the Government Screening and Selection Commission, adding that appointments are expected soon. "According to the agreement discussed jointly by the groups, they agree to implement it quickly,” Myint Htwe said. “In our constitution, there's no specific timing for when it must emerge. On the other hand, the faster the groups can consult, discuss, and coordinate smoothly, the faster selections [for key government members] will come." Resistance forces now hold several towns, including Khampat, Shwe Pyi Aye, Maw Luu, Myothit, Pinlebu, Indaw and Banmauk, and run administrative systems across much of the countryside."No matter how many ground attacks or aerial bombings there are, we’re committed to staying based in our region—Sagaing,” Myint Htwe said. “With government members and relevant ministers, we hope to be able to protect and care for the people, resolve problems, and solve issues more quickly.” Residents in Monywa gather for an anti-junta protest on March 20, 2021, part of the early nationwide wave of demonstrations opposing military rule. (Photo: Supplied) After Chinese pressure, two out of three of the ethnic armed groups with the Brotherhood Alliance—the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)—have penned new ceasefires with the junta. This has in turn caused the military to pivot their military operations towards Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway, and Chin State. In Sagaing Region, the junta has deployed heavily armed columns to retake township centres slated for the first phase of its planned election and to secure key roadways. Arson attacks and airstrikes accompanying these operations have forced thousands of residents from Kanbalu, Khin-U, Sagaing, Wetlet and Salingyi townships to flee their homes.Still, leaders within the Sagaing Federal Unit say they remain cautiously optimistic, arguing that the new administration marks a step toward stronger civilian governance despite the intensifying conflict.“Having a functioning government under a federal system brings federalism closer to reality,” Myint Htwe said. “It also means we can act faster and more effectively to win the war. This needs to take shape.”

Sagaing resistance names interim chief as parallel government takes shape

Appointment of former NLD official Soe Oo formalises a new civilian administration in one of Myanmar’s most contested regions

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