Young men and women in Myanmar, who were at the forefront of protests against the military junta after it seized power in a 2021 coup, could be forced to fight for the regime.
With rebel groups gaining control of 30 villages in recent months, the junta announced mandatory conscription from the end of April in a desperate bid to counter the unprecedented threat to its three-year rule. Each year, the law will force 60,000 young men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to fight alongside a military responsible for a litany of war crimes – from looting and torching villages to the torture and execution of civilians.
