#military-coup

#military-coup

Myanmar's military-backed political party has extended its lead after the second round of voting, according to official figures from the country's election body, and the country now heads into the final phase of its three-stage general election amid widespread conflict. The latest data published on Friday indicates that the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is on track to win 182 seats from the combined first and second phases of voting, more than half of the seats in the country's 330-member lower house.

Ussu grew up in a small and unstable African country, a former Portuguese colony that was no stranger to attempted coups (the country is not being named to protect Ussu's identity). A good student, he dreamed of going to university to train to become a doctor, but he was required to complete two years of military service first. Once he was in the army, though, his superiors refused to release him. Years passed and there was still no sign of an exit route.

Marcel Malanga, 21, and his friend Tyler Thompson, with no prior military experience, stand among rebel soldiers during an assault on the Palais de la Nation in the DRC.