Aung San

Yet the conflict has also been described as a forgotten war, as the military regime restricts access to journalists and a series of interstate wars across the globe dominate headlines.

In today's episode, what are the drivers of this complex, factionalized conflict? How did a military hunter displace Aung San Suu Kyi, the former Nobel Peace Prize winner and de facto leader of Myanmar before the civil war erupted? And how does a battle for natural resources contribute to the deadly instability which has riven the country? I'm Oz Katterjee, and this is Not A Drill.

Joining us today is Matthew Campbell, award-winning reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek.

For his recent long read, The War the World Forgot, Matthew was able to visit Myanmar on multiple occasions to report on the situation five years on from the outbreak of violence.

The junta, many people will have a vague idea that there is something called a junta in Myanmar, which basically means this band of generals who have in one way or another dominated the country for decades.

They had allowed a degree of democracy.

Aung San Suu Kyi, another name people will be familiar with, had become the de facto leader.

But in 2021, the generals basically tired of democracy and they took back control in a military coup.