INSIDE MYANMAR’S SILENT WAR

Karen and Karenni State (Myanmar) - 2021/2025

This photo project began in May 2021, following the military coup of February 1st. Since then, I’ve been one of the few reporters to enter the country for nearly five months - across multiple trips - into areas controlled by the Karen and Karenni resistance, documenting different phases of the conflict.

The first part of the project tells the stories of young men and women who fled Myanmar’s main cities and sought refuge in ethnic territories, where they took up arms. It was a painful and difficult choice, but one they saw as necessary to free the country from military control. The second part documents firefights, civilian life, and the consequences of war.

Four years into the civil war, nearly 70,000 people have been killed and over three million displaced. According to UNICEF, more than five million children need humanitarian aid, and 7.8 million adolescents are without access to education.

Even before the earthquake that struck the country on March 28, many parts of Myanmar were already devastated. Entire towns had been reduced to rubble. Makeshift hospitals were filled with civilians injured by airstrikes and landmines. In schools, children were forced to take shelter in improvised trenches, fearing attacks.

The earthquake was a tragedy within a tragedy.

This project aims to continue - following the course of the conflict and documenting the situation on the ground, giving voice to those who are living through this silent war.

For more information or to purchase the photos, please contact: [email protected]