Myanmar military on Monday has taken control of the country’s affairs through a coup, detaining leaders of the ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD) including the State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The coup comes after tensions rose between the civilian government and the military following a disputed election. (BBC reported)

According to the army, the elected government was toppled in response to the ‘election fraud’. The state’s control has been handed over to military chief Min Aung Hlaing, imposing a state of emergency for one year.

In November 2020, Suu Kyi-led NLD won a landslide victory to form a government.

According to media reports, Soldiers have been deployed on the streets of the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and the main city, Yangon. Phone lines to the capital and the main commercial centre of Yangon are also not reachable.

International Reactions

The United States has condemned the coup with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding the release of all government officials and civil society leaders.

“We call on the military to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes through lawful mechanisms and to release immediately all civilian leaders and others who have been detained unlawfully,”  Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said.