Following a resounding victory by the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, in the general election on 1 February, the military seized control of the country, imprisoned elected officials, and imposed a year-long state of emergency.

Myanmar's National Unity Government has launched a "people's defensive war" against the military, which took control in a 1 February coup, calling people to "revolt against the rule of the military terrorists", Myanmar Now reported on Tuesday.

In a speech broadcast on Facebook, acting president Duwa Lashi La called on the exiled government's People’s Defence Force (PDF) to strike "every pillar of the junta's ruling mechanism", as well as to defend citizens' lives, to obey commands, and to respect the PDF's code of conduct.