Myanmar Junta Denies Internal Coup Rumours

Myanmar's military junta today denied rumors of an internal coup d'état, calling them a ‘disinformation campaign’.

"This is a disinformation campaign to destroy the peace and stability of our country," the junta that governs the Asian country said in a statement.

"The head of state," General Min Aung Hlaing, and other officials "are fulfilling their national duties," according to the same statement.

The statement came after information was shared on social media that pointed to a military coup to oust Ming Aung Hlaing, and on the same day that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits the country.

China is Myanmar's main partner and maintains ties with both the junta and rebel forces.

According to the statement, the rumor of the coup arose from a comment posted on August 12 on the Facebook account of Captain Seagull, who has 11,000 followers and is a supporter of the Civil Disobedience Movement, which emerged after the coup of February 1, 2021, which brought Min Aung Hlaing to power.

"Although it seems to be a rumor, we may never know what is going on behind the scenes," wrote the Civil Disobedience Movement on the social network X (formerly Twitter), after stating that Min Aung Hlaing "has systematically purged all reformists and moderates from the army in recent years."

In another rare intervention, Min Aung Hlaing recently admitted the pressure exerted on the military regime due to the multiple fronts opened by rebel groups fighting the army.

The rebel offensive intensified following the so-called "Operation 1027", launched on 27 October by a group of ethnic guerrillas in the north of the country, some with links to China, joined by other militias, posing the greatest threat to the junta since the coup.

The coup ended 10 years of democratic transition in Myanmar and opened a spiral of violence that has exacerbated the guerrilla movement, which has lasted for decades in the country, with thousands of young people joining armed groups fighting the army.

The UN warned in a report published on Tuesday that there is "substantial evidence" that war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese army "have increased at an alarming rate" in the last year.