A Nation in Conflict: Myanmar’s Revolution Captured in Award-Winning World Press Photo Series by Ye Aung Thu
In one of the most gripping and powerful visual narratives of the year, A Nation in Conflict by Burmese photojournalist Ye Aung Thu has been recognized as a finalist in the 2025 World Press Photo contest. His intimate and harrowing documentation of Myanmar’s ongoing civil war brings the world face to face with a revolution unfolding largely beyond the headlines.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a Southeast Asian country that borders Thailand, Laos, China, India, and Bangladesh. It is home to a rich cultural mosaic of ethnic groups and a long history of military rule. Since the country’s independence from British colonial rule in 1948, Myanmar has endured recurring cycles of authoritarianism, rebellion, and brief experiments with democracy.
“Before the Attack” © Ye Aung Thu — used with permission World Press Photo
Insurgents from various opposition groups gather in dense jungle terrain ahead of a coordinated assault on a military outpost. Taken in Hpasawng Township, Kayah State, on 22 January 2024, the photo underscores the growing coordination between civilian militias operating in remote border regions.
The 2021 Coup and the Rise of Armed Resistance
The latest chapter in Myanmar’s troubled history began on 1 February 2021, when the military—known as the Tatmadaw—staged a coup, deposing the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD). The takeover triggered a national crisis. Peaceful protests gave way to brutal crackdowns. Civilians, including students, farmers, and professionals, began forming local militias under the umbrella of the People’s Defense Forces (PDF)—a network of grassroots armed resistance groups now waging war against the junta.
“The Price of Resistance” © Ye Aung Thu — used with permission World Press Photo
Members of the Special Operations Force (SOF), a People’s Defense Forces unit, dig graves for four fallen fighters killed in an ambush on a junta base. The quiet solemnity of this moment, captured on 26 April 2024 in Taung Soon, Kayin State, speaks to the daily cost of rebellion.
Ye Aung Thu’s photo series follows this escalating conflict through the eyes of those fighting for freedom. Having lived through the 1988 military crackdown as a six-year-old, he watched history tragically repeat itself when his own son was the same age during the 2021 coup. This personal thread weaves through his work, giving it a rare emotional depth. He has traveled extensively through contested regions of the country, including Kayin State and Kayah (Karenni) State, embedded with resistance fighters who are risking everything for a democratic future.
Inside the Images: Stories of Resistance and Resilience
Each image in A Nation in Conflict tells a story of courage, sacrifice, and the fractured geography of rebellion. These are not distant, abstract battles—they are fought in the thick jungle, the rain, and the mud, by young men and women who bury their comrades by hand and dance in celebration when a junta base falls.
“Firing Line” © Ye Aung Thu — used with permission World Press Photo
In a moment of intense combat, fighters from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and SOF operate a heavy machine gun during an attack on a junta stronghold. Photographed on 21 April 2024, also in Taung Soon, the image reveals the makeshift but determined nature of the insurgency.
“A Small Victory” © Ye Aung Thu — used with permission World Press Photo
Khu Reedu, commander of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), stands at the center of a jubilant group of resistance fighters after they overran a junta military base in Shadaw, Kayah State, on 14 February 2024. Their faces show joy, exhaustion, and defiance—a rare moment of celebration in an otherwise grinding war.
Myanmar’s Crisis in Global Focus
This powerful photo series will be featured as part of the World Press Photo 2025 Global Exhibition, touring over 60 cities across the globe, including Amsterdam, Rome, London, Berlin, Vienna, Montreal, Jakarta, and Sydney. For many visitors, it will be their first close-up look at a conflict that receives little sustained international media coverage.
The World Press Photo Foundation, which has spent 70 years championing visual journalism, ensures that these stories are seen by millions—on gallery walls, in digital exhibitions, and through educational programs that encourage public reflection and global dialogue.
At a time when disinformation, censorship, and war fatigue threaten the public’s understanding of global events, the clarity and authenticity of Ye Aung Thu’s images offer something vital: truth from the front lines, seen through the eyes of a fellow citizen.
As Myanmar’s youth continue to fight for a future free from dictatorship, these photos remind the world that democracy is not a guarantee—it is a struggle, fought one village, one grave, one machine-gun post at a time.
World Press Photo Yearbook 2025 – available from our affiliate, Amazon
World Press Photos global exhibition tour
The 2025 winning photographs will be featured in World Press Photos global exhibition tour, which spans over 60 cities worldwide, including:
| Amsterdam: 18 April – 21 September Rome: 6 May – 8 June London: 23 May – 25 August Berlin: 6 June – 29 June Vienna: 12 September – 9 November | Budapest: 10 September – 9 November Mexico City: 18 July – 28 September Montreal: 27 August – 11 October Jakarta: 12 September – 11 October Sydney: 24 May – 6 July |
For the full list of winners, visit: 👉 www.worldpressphoto.org
World Press Photo Yearbook 2025 – available from our affiliate, Amazon
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