Snipers Become a Symbol of Strength for Freedom Fighters in Myanmar

The ongoing but little publicized civil war in Myanmar perfectly demonstrates not only the tactical potential of a sniper, but their role as a symbol of competence, lethality, and guerilla spirit. Both sides of the conflict are using long-range marksmen in combat, but the rebel militias have leveraged them more effectively both as a symbol of strength and a force multiplier against an oppressive military government with more advanced technology and significant foreign support.

The military junta that officially controls Myanmar (formerly Burma) has struggled to rule the diverse country since it first seized power in 1962. Never-ending conflicts with ethnically based militias around the country transitioned into outright civil war in 2021 when the armed forces conducted a coup against the democratically elected leadership that had been allowed to share power. Former officials, pro-democratic protestors, and oppressed minorities have together taken over a large portion of Myanmar and collaborated to put the junta (also called the Tatmadaw) on the defensive.¹

Myanmar’s armed forces have and continue to deploy trained snipers, like most militaries. They even utilize a locally-made long-range rifle called the MA-S, chambered in 7.62×51 NATO.² While not particularly distinguished, the marksmen of the junta do see use and have received recent publicity as part of the Tatmadaw’s indiscriminate killing of civilian protestors and opponents which has done so much to fan the flames of civil war following the 2021 coup.³ Within each military battalion of 180 soldiers there are typically two MA-S sniper rifles assigned, but it is reported that there aren’t always trained shooters on hand to wield them as instruction falls short and large numbers of government soldiers continually defect to the resistance.⁴

The numerous rebel factions, on the other hand, have effectively used snipers to help even the playing field in the struggle against a technologically superior military government with better organization and decades of experience. While the sheer number of militias and resistance groups that coexist in varying degrees of cooperation and competition⁵ make generalizations difficult, rebel snipers have been observed to specifically focus on eliminating enemy leaders.⁶ In January 2024, as a notable example, a Brigadier General of the Tatmadaw was shot and killed by a sniper of an unknown resistance faction while his helicopter was landing.⁷

Not only do the resistance groups benefit from trained defectors that serve as marksmen, but there are also reports of foreign volunteers aiding on the battlefield by providing training when they are not fighting directly alongside the rebels. One “Azad” from the United States has been teaching sniper courses⁸ and has helped make both male and female members of the Chin National Defense Force (an ethnically based resistance militia) into capable shooters.⁹ Notably, female snipers have demonstrated merit and are coming to be accepted by many rebels, further widening the marksmanship advantage that the resistance holds in a country where traditional misogynistic views are still very common and often limit the participation of women in combat.¹⁰

But for the freedom fighters in Myanmar, snipers have also become a tool for publicity and psychological warfare in ways not yet evident among their counterparts within the armed forces. Lethal snipers are a representation of strength that encourages both fear and respect, an impression that is actively being cultivated by the resistance. Captured junta soldiers have expressed fear of rebel marksmen¹¹ and numerous photographs and videos of snipers can be found circulating online, projecting the idea that the combined opposition to the Tatmadaw is a capable guerilla force. Good sniping has historically been used as such a source of combat legitimacy and intimidation around the world and the fight for freedom in Myanmar continues that trend.

The resistance in Myanmar is still actively taking territory and driving the military government back, but the war is far from over. The deeply entrenched, cult-like Tatmadaw receives assistance from Russia and China and will not give up its hold on power easily.¹² But as these final phases of the war play out, snipers can be counted on to continue to demonstrate the important tactical and psychological roles that have made them so effective through countless wars.

Stirling E.
Sniper Central Global Affairs Analyst