By John Quinley III in DVB
The wedding after-party was held off the main road, in a large house where the band played from inside a large bunker. In Karenni State, Myanmar, where my colleague and I were working, the threat of airstrikes, drone attacks, and artillery fire from the front lines not far from the celebration were real.
The Karenni people are resisting a brutal military regime that seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021. Under such conditions, a wedding was not merely a celebration, it was an act of resistance.
The groom, the head judge of the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC), and his bride stood at the center of a full and bustling crowd that night smiling, singing, and greeting guests. Resistance leaders and soldiers mingled freely, drinking rice whisky and beer. Despite the ever-present danger, the atmosphere pulsed with life.
Even as it wages war against its own people, Myanmar’s military junta has staged a phased set of sham “elections”, one on December 28, 2025 and another soon to take place on January 11, 2026.
The second phase is slated for Demoso Township—the very heart of Karenni resistance. The audacity is staggering: to claim democratic legitimacy while attacking its own people.
Still, the people of Karenni State fight back, not just with guns but also in their attempt to build a democratic, human rights respecting state from the bottom up. This resistance in the face of sustained repression deserves far greater international attention and support.
Following the 2021 coup, Karenni leaders formed the IEC to assume the responsibilities of a state government. The IEC describes itself as a caretaker authority tasked with building administrative structures from the ground up, at village, township, district, and state levels.
The results of those efforts are tangible. The IEC has established functioning justice, education, health, humanitarian systems, and others. It has begun issuing state-level license plates, now visible on vehicles in towns across the state. This is democratic governance in practice, not theory.
All of this has been achieved in the midst of a fierce and just war defending their people against a murderous junta. The IEC represents a rare model of civilian-led, bottom-up governance model forged under extraordinary pressure, a beacon for communities resisting dictatorship elsewhere in the world.
The armed resistance, too, reflects this people-centered approach. The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), one of the main resistance forces, has placed civilian protection at the core of its struggle.
In November, my colleagues and I at Fortify Rights reached Demoso Township—after four days of travel on rain-drenched, treacherous roads—to partner with the KNDF and IEC on a three-day workshop on human rights, the laws of war, and how to document war crimes committed by the junta.
We trained 16 KNDF members from different battalions and offices, including frontline fighters. The workshop was participatory and action-oriented, emphasizing practical skills and decision-making, rather than abstract principles.
Crucially, the KNDF’s conduct on the ground reinforced the message of the training: this is a force actively striving to respect international law and protect its people. Their actions, and their enthusiastic participation in the workshop, speak for themselves.
Karenni leaders have unequivocally rejected the junta’s planned elections. KNDF Commander Khu Reedu—a steadfast, humble, and formidable leader—was blunt when I asked him about them.
“Why do you want to talk about the elections?” he said. What mattered more, he explained, was recognition of Karenni self-governance. “If we win this fight, the international community will recognize us,” he told me. “If the military wins, they will support them.”
His words expose a simple truth: international legitimacy is not earned through ballots cast under bombs or imposed by an illegal regime. It is earned through governance, accountability, the protection of civilians, and, frankly, victory on the battlefield.
By those standards, the junta’s elections are a fraud—and the Karenni authorities are the credible alternative.
The people of Karenni State have built institutions, defended their communities, and demonstrated extraordinary courage. In their support, governments should unequivocally reject the junta’s sham elections for what they are: an attempt to manufacture legitimacy by an illegitimate and brutal junta committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Instead, they should engage with and support genuine governance structures like the Karenni IEC—authorities that are already administering justice, delivering services, and upholding human rights.
The wedding I witnessed was more than just a celebration. It was a declaration that life and dignity endure even in times of war. The international community should support such efforts and refuse legitimizing a regime responsible for ongoing repression.
This article was originally published in DVB.