Myanmar's rebel groups voice support for protesters as junta continues crackdowns

This handout photo taken and released by Dawei Watch on April 3, 2021 shows protesters taking part in a demonstration against the military coup in Dawei. - AFP

YANGON, April 3 (AFP): Ten of Myanmar's major rebel groups threw their support behind the country's anti-coup movement on Saturday, fanning fears that a broader conflict could erupt in a country plagued for decades by on-and-off fighting between the military and the ethnic armies.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power on February 1, triggering an uprising that the junta has sought to quell with deadly crackdowns.