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1 [1] (January 7, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/govetfi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service informing the legislitive debate since 1914 Updated January 7, 2026 Burma: Background and Issues for Congress Overview Burma (also known as Myanmar) is a multi-ethnic Southeast Asian nation of 57.5 million that has been under some degree of military rule since 1962 and under an authoritarian military junta since a February 2021 coup d'6tat. The coup ended a decade-long period of partial democratization and ushered in a broad nationwide conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. After nearly five years of conflict and a devastating March 2025 earthquake, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), estimates that 3.6 million people-6% of the country's population-have been displaced since the coup. The military currently is fighting numerous ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) as well as anti-junta militias across much of the country. Some anti-junta groups have gained control over large regions in Burma. Criminal activity in Burma has flourished. Large cyber-scam operations, many reportedly run by international criminal enterprises, have grown in regions bordering the People's Republic of China (PRC, or China) and Thailand. Human trafficking and illegal trafficking in narcotics, wildlife, and sanctioned materials such as gemstones, continues. Against this backdrop, the junta is conducting a month-long set of parliamentary elections which started in December and are to conclude January 25, 2026. Few overseas observers believe the polls will be free and fair - voting won't take place in large parts of the country that remain under opposition control or in conflict. Some analysts believe military leaders seek a degree of international legitimacy, if they can seat a new government. Congress has taken considerable interest in Burma since the emergence of the pro-democracy movement in the late 1980s. In the 117th Congress, the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023 NDAA; P.L. 117-263) included provisions related to the 2021 coup that had been part of the proposed Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act (BURMA Act; H.R. 5497/S. 2937). The FY2023 NDAA stated that it is U.S. policy to support the people of Burma in their struggle for democracy, freedom, human rights, and justice and authorized additional sanctions and nonlethal, technical assistance to resistance groups, among other provisions. Congress also has appropriated funds for humanitarian assistance and democracy and human rights promotion in Burma, although many of these programs have been impacted by the Trump Administration's cuts to foreign assistance in 2025. In the 119th Congress, the Brave BURMA Act (H.R. 3190), if adopted, would call on the Administration to name a special coordinator or special representative for Burma policy, among other actions. The Burma GAP Act (H.R. 4140) would call on the Secretary of State and special coordinator to support humanitarian relief for the country's Rohingya minority, seek accountability for crimes against humanity committed against them, and require a report on the status of the Rohingya and U.S. efforts to address their situation. (See Plight of the Rohingya, below.) H.storca Background Burma gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1948. In its early years, some political leaders, including Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's father, Aung San, sought to develop some form of federalism. A 1962 coup installed a military junta that rejected autonomy for ethnic minority areas, initiating a decades-long period of military rule and ethnic conflict. In 1990, the junta ignored the results of a general election won by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) and detained her under house arrest. Beginning in 2010, the junta allowed a partial transition toward a more democratic system, in which a hybrid civilian-military government led the country following parliamentary elections in 2010 and 2015. The government undertook some political and economic reforms and released thousands of political prisoners, while the military retained control of the country's security ministries and key economic assets. During this period, the military continued to commit grievous human rights abuses, particularly against the Rohingya minority. Figure I. Burma Source: Figure created by CRS. Map boundaries from U.S. Department of State. Data from CIA World Factbook (2025). The NLD won an overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats in November 2020 elections. Claiming the results were fraudulent, the military launched a coup the day before new members were set to be sworn in and installed a junta, known as the State Administrative Council (SAC), led by military commander Min Aung Hlaing. The junta arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and many other NLD leaders. Aung San Suu Kyi, 80, remains in prison. NLD members living in exile have created a shadow government called the