Belarus president visits military-led Myanmar ahead of disputed election

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Myanmar on a goodwill visit, becoming only the second foreign leader to visit the country since the military seized power in 2021. The visit comes as Myanmar faces one of the world’s longest-running internal conflicts, a civil war that has lasted more than seven decades and escalated sharply after the coup, with widespread armed resistance, airstrikes, village burnings and mass civilian displacement now reported across large parts of the country.

Myanmar’s conflict has evolved into a complex multi-sided war involving the military, long-standing ethnic armed groups and newly formed resistance forces. Large areas of the country have slipped out of full military control, with frequent clashes in border and rural regions. Human rights groups have documented allegations of mass killings, torture, forced displacement and attacks on civilian infrastructure. Millions of people have been internally displaced, while thousands have fled to neighboring countries. Armed opposition groups have vowed to block any military-backed election, calling it an attempt to legitimise continued army rule.

Myanmar is located in Southeast Asia and borders India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand, with coastlines along the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. Its rugged mountains, dense forests and remote borderlands have historically made governance difficult and fueled long-running insurgencies.

The visit takes place just a month before a planned election that critics describe as neither free nor fair. Lukashenko’s presence is widely seen as symbolic political support for the military-organised polls. Since the coup, Belarus has emerged as a key supporter of Myanmar’s military, alongside China and Russia, and has supplied arms, equipment and technical assistance.

Myanmar’s military leadership under Senior General Min Aung Hlaing remains under heavy Western sanctions for overthrowing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and for serious human rights violations. The only other foreign leader to visit Myanmar since 2021 was Cambodia’s former Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2022.

Lukashenko was welcomed in Naypyitaw with full state honours by Prime Minister Nyo Saw and senior officials. He is expected to meet Min Aung Hlaing to discuss closer political, military and economic cooperation, with agreements and memorandums of understanding to be signed.

Rights group Justice For Myanmar said Belarus has provided Myanmar’s military with weapons, radar systems, air defence equipment and training, strengthening the army’s battlefield capabilities and domestic arms production.