The photojournalist Alex McBride has been embedded with rebel forces in Chin state, Myanmar, during a critical moment for the country, as the regime assaults the area in a worrying echo of the Rohingya genocide
As a 17-year-old, Mai Zacer Mawi* was used to being pushed around. An avid and talented martial artist, she had been selected to move from her rural home town of Falam, in north-western Myanmar, to one of the country’s major cities, Yangon. There she had been invited to practise martial arts at a national training camp. But despite her prowess, Mawi faced taunts and bullying from her peers because of her background.
Her home town lies in Chin state, one of 15 territories within Myanmar.
Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) soldiers practise drills at a training facility under the direction of a soldier recently defected from the Tatmadaw in Falam township.
