The head of one of Myanmar’s most influential ethnic armies has accused the international community of turning a blind eye to deadly airstrikes carried out by the ruling junta, warning that civilians are paying the price as the conflict deepens.

General Yawd Serk, chairman of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), spoke to Reuters at his remote headquarters in Loi Tai Leng, near the Thai border, in his first media interview in years. His comments came days after elections staged by the military, widely criticised as a means to entrench its grip on power.

“The civilians are suffering and I want the international community not to ignore it,” Yawd Serk said, citing data from the Myanmar Peace Monitor that recorded more than 1,000 civilian sites hit by airstrikes in the past 15 months. Since late 2024, at least 1,728 civilians have been killed in bombing raids, according to monitoring groups.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, sparking nationwide resistance. Pro‑democracy forces, lacking an air force, have struggled against the junta’s aerial campaigns. The military insists it is targeting “terrorists”.

Yawd Serk, long seen as a shrewd operator who maintains a ceasefire with the junta, struck a sharper tone than usual. He praised Suu Kyi’s administration and blamed Senior General Min Aung Hlaing for Myanmar’s crisis, describing the leadership as driven by “ego, pride, and greed”.

He also pointed to China as the only foreign power actively intervening, saying Beijing has pressed armed groups to halt offensives in order to protect its Belt and Road projects. “There is one country which intervenes in Myanmar, it is China and only China,” he said.

Despite the bitterness of the conflict, Yawd Serk urged dialogue among Myanmar’s armed factions and called for the creation of a federal army, a long‑standing demand of groups opposing the junta. Representatives from rival Shan organisations attended his Shan National Day parade, signalling tentative steps towards unity.

For now, the RCSS leader insists that political solutions remain essential. “We can’t even think who we can rely on,” he admitted, but added that trust‑building among ethnic groups could pave the way for a future beyond war.

-2026-02-11

What he says is correct.

But he has done nothing to oppose the 2021 military coup, even at a time when things were going well for the pro-democracy forces and his intervention might have tipped the balance.

His S.S.A. South is the successor of drug lord Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army.