U.N. special envoy in Naypyitaw to meet Myanmar junta leadership

FILE PHOTO: Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted the elected government in a coup on February 1, 2021, presides over an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, March 27, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

(Reuters) - A senior U.N. official is expected on Wednesday to meet Myanmar's military leadership, in a rare, high-profile visit that comes amid growing political chaos and violence in the country.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi early last year and launched a bloody crackdown on peaceful protests and armed resistance movements that followed.