'Please bear with us': Amid 'civil war', Myanmar junta seeks to reassure Chinese government

Myanmar's junta-backed president said the country is at risk of breaking apart if the military cannot crush a joint offensive by ethnic armed groups along the border with China, state media reported Thursday. Fighting has raged for almost two weeks across northern Shan state near the China border, posing what analysts say is the biggest military challenge to the junta since it seized power in 2021. "If the government does not effectively manage the incidents happening in the border region, the country will be split into various parts," Myint Swe said Wednesday, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army say they have seized dozens of military outposts and blocked vital trade routes to China. The junta has admitted to losing control of a key trade hub, but had not commented on the progress of the fighting for days. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on the junta-backed president's warning that the fierce armed rebellion risks breaking up Myanmar, FRANCE 24's François Picard is joined by Former French Ambassador to Myanmar and current Lecturer at Sciences-Po Jean-Michel Lacombe.