Opposition forces now control half the country, advances that have never been achieved before. A leader of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), Tin Oo, puts this down to their newfound unity. "When we rebel against the dictatorship, we can't do it alone. The reason the civil war has gone on so long is lack of unity." Lt Col Saw Hla Kyi Hai, who has been in the KNLA for over 40 years, expresses a similar observation of "massive changes" since the group's founding days. After a 60 year bloody civil war, we are seeing a decisive moment in this fight. A loose alliance of ethnic armed groups with newly formed anti-coup militias cut off key trading routes, seizing towns and dozens of outposts. For the first time, they are moving into areas the military once thought of as strongholds. Tin Oo continues, "it's because we were not united, that the dictatorship survived. That's why this time all ethnic groups must work together and fight the junta".