Myanmar's civil war: the junta's fightback
From From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4
June 13, 2026 · 29 min
About this episode
The episode covers various stories including Myanmar's military conscription, African POWs in Ukraine, the aftermath of the Air India crash, xenophobic tensions in South Africa, and the thriving Garifuna musical tradition in Belize.
Kate Adie presents stories on the deserters from Myanmar's military forces, African POWs in Ukraine, Ahmedebad a year on from the Air India crash, South Africa and Belize. Myanmar’s military, which seized power from the democratically elected government in 2021, reactivated a conscription law two years ago. Anyone 18-35 years of age, now has to serve between 2 to five years in the army. Quentin Sommerville spoke to some who defected from the country's military in rebel-held territory. African POWs are being held in western Ukraine, after being recruited to fight for Russia. Many say they were misled or coerced by illegal recruiters promising jobs and good pay. Sammy Awami went to meet some of them. A year after Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, families of those who died are fighting for answers after failures in the identification process. Azadeh Moshiri has been to the crash site and met with relatives. South Africa has seen a rise in anti-immigration protests and reports of xenophobic violence, prompting repatriation efforts by several African governments. In Johannesburg, Mayeni Jones reflects on the tensions, her own…
People in this episode
Host: Kate Adie
Topics covered
- Myanmar civil war
- military conscription
- African POWs
- Air India crash
- xenophobia in South Africa
- Garifuna music in Belize
Keywords
- Myanmar
- civil war
- conscription
- POWs
- Air India crash
- xenophobia
- Belize
- Garifuna music
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Myanmar, Ukraine, Ahmedabad, South Africa, Belize
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