A man protests, a Chin flag in his hand, against the conflict that is shaking his region, July 13, 2019 in Yangon.

-

Sai Aung MAIN / AFP

This is one of the unintended consequences of this week's coup in Burma.

The longest internet shutdown on the planet, which had lasted for 19 months, took in an area of ​​ethnic conflict in the north of the country.

The network was cut in June 2019 in the states of Chin and Rakhine, after "urgent" orders given by the Ministry of Telecoms of the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Following Monday's military coup, mobile operator Telenor Group said it had restored all services in eight townships in Rakhine and Chin states on Wednesday.

Information on the coup and the pandemic

"Telenor Group and Telenor Myanmar have advocated the restoration of benefits and stressed that freedom of expression through access to telecom services must be respected for humanitarian reasons," the company said in a statement.

On Wednesday, residents rejoiced at their reconnection with the rest of the world.

According to Khin Maung, a resident of Mrauk-U town, in northern Rakhine state, the internet is back on, but slow.

“We have the Internet again.

So we also know about the coup, ”said Shouban, who like many Rohingyas has only one name, in Maungdaw, in the same state.

According to the NGO Human Rights Watch, the Internet shutdown last year limited awareness of the risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic and access to information on hygiene measures to fight it.

A very deadly conflict

The conflict in the state of Rakhine opposes the Burmese army and the insurgents of the army of Arakan, who fight to obtain more autonomy in favor of the Buddhist population, known as Rakhine or Aranakaise.

The fighting spread to neighboring Chin state, prompting thousands of Chins, a predominantly Christian minority, to flee their villages and seek refuge in makeshift camps.

Since January 2019, hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured, and more than 150,000 displaced in the face of escalating violence.

The region has also been the scene of the tragedy of the Rohingya Muslim minority, some 740,000 of whom fled to neighboring Bangladesh after attacks targeting them in 2017, carried out by the Burmese army and Buddhist militias and described as genocide by investigators from the UN.

The 600,000 Rohingya who remained in the country live in permanent apartheid conditions.

World

Bangladesh: Controversial Rohingya Island Transfer Continues

World

Burma: Six questions to better understand the tragedy of the Rohingyas, victims of ethnic cleansing

  • World

  • Internet

  • Burma