#title My Survival in Civil War
#subtitle A little bit of advice for anarchists in warzone
#author IwriteNelson
#LISTtitle Survival Civil War
#date 16<sup>th</sup>, Feb, 2026
#uid Surv1v@l1nC1v1lW@r
#lang en
#pubdate 2026-02-16T00:00:00
#topics praxis, burma, spring revolution, advice, survival, warzone, experience, mutual-aid, manual, civillian,
#language English
#notes This is just advice for civillians for SURVIVAL. If you want advisory material for a insurgency or resistance, I’m not the one for it.







Why do you expect use of this manual?

You are many diplomats, geniuses, armies, and alliances from war. Each adding thousands of kilometres of distance.

Which happens to be the same distance as much as a retarded, power-hungry, I-want-all fascist running your government!

Before your television, before your screens, you watch China and Taiwan : the elephant in the room that can easily trigger a World War; a renewal of war in Sudan; and Ukraine is still ongoing.. And also a great many more tyrants and fascists popping up: the MAGA movement in North America; the National Rally in France; AFD in Germany, and a newly formed authoritarian government in Syria already diplomatically backed by the U.S.A who is trying to destroy our Kurdish comrades. Why does all this matter? Look at World War 2 right before 1939, various states were in a state of renewed hostilities, and fascists & ultranationalists were gaining power and popularity. See the reflection? And I’m experiencing a fascist war, a fascist ruler, for real. Brushing skin-to-skin. In Burma.

I speak for this guide per practical experience in the Burmese Civil War, very much still hot right now. It is one of the larger ones to speak of civil wars, and definitely isn’t the most civil affair. Especially because of the increasing fascistic nature of life that drives the Burmese style of life and the suicidal, deadly nature of the ruling regime’s army. I will explain some events as we move along.

I’ll say some mundane things; and the mundane in a struggle are the most important. logistics in war, perseverance in a revolution, and editting your novel. Here those mundane factors is going to be a matter of a long, happy life and a long, terrible death. The mundane is equally important to the excitable. And mostly things I know from experience. It will not cover everything.

Though it is unlikely that Trump manages to repeat the scale of madness and destruction Hitler caused from 1939 to 1945, yet, it is neither completely certain that he’d stop anywhere short of genocide and war for an ego boost.

Therefore, I am fairly very confident, that it is very beneficial for an anarchist to have read this. I believe the readers, anarchists — proponents of mutual aid, would very much help thousands upon thousands of other people from the menace of imperialist war and fascist warlords.

*** Questions to ask Yourself

When a civil war breaks out, it is usually very natural to assume some sort of safety in your position, or have a grand panic attack and assume a state of total danger. How much danger are you in, as far as I’ve experienced and per experience of fellow Burmen, are these:

 - Civil wars are very political in nature. Hence it is very dangerous for political targets above military targets at least from early on. So, if you’re a political target, try to immediately leave the country, before things get worse and the ruling faction initiates fresh restrictions...or, if things go too explosive like the Spanish Civil War, it is advisable to do nothing but hide. Hide yourself; hide your belongings. Everything else can wait. You might even get assassinated, which makes “lying low” even more important. CDM in officials in Burma, are one example. The wiser ones fled. The most dedicated ones are in Laiza (headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army). The stupid ones starved before returning to the government.

 - If you’re not, then you do not try to make yourself a target – of anybody. Why? Because once war breaks out, the thousands of poor, unemployed people that always exist in urban areas, will have their situation worsened by inflation, shut-down public services, etc. So what do they do? They turn to stealing and robbing. You can’t blame them! Lock your doors and gates and windows; fix your locks if you can, and have some sort of weapon at ready if there’s an intruder. The most common thief will not enter a completely locked up home with an adult male inside.

 - Another type of people to target you are the whatever militia that will pop up once chaos ensues. The recruits of most state-sponsored or terrorist militia (ie, one that plunders and pillages...war is very profitable indeed.) are usually the bottom of the hierarchy of wealth – the oppressed turned oppressor. That is the case of the Pyi Thu Sit militia of the Tatmadaw. Their violence can come in many ways but understand that they’re usually trying to both be ‘masters’ and get money. If you want to keep them bribed, do it early. It also applies to most officials and policemen.

 - Another question: CAN YOU ESCAPE? If you can, GO, can get the hell out of the country. But if you can’t, just get away from where war is likely. The best solution to a problem is to never have it in the first place; the best way out of danger is to not get yourself into a dangerous situation in the first place.

 - ICH IS THE “GOOD” SIDE? It should be pretty simple. If everything is optimal, avoid the worst factions. Go nowhere near religious factions that intend theocratic rule, or seek to rule upon religious basis as they’re easily the most likely ones to roll out the most oppressive laws and policies (and, often, a gathering place of unreasonable blockheads: ISIS, Taliban, DKBA; but no disgrace to the brave Afghan Mujahadeen). Also, avoid extremists and fanatics...whichever that came to power in the most violent or cunning way is *usually* the worst. In Burma, one example is the MNDAA who betrayed their own communist faction, proceeded to become a Chinese proxy, and then they turned towards racism to Burmese populations in their Chinese & Shan territories.

But, it must be said, that sometimes these sort of factions are likely to control the cities and be state-aligned, whilst the more benevolent factions might control small towns and rural areas, just because the fascists and the terrorists are far more invested into conquest. Per experience, it is advisable to live in a city, simply because war is unlikely to reach there even if the frontline begins to dash rapidly close to the city (see the city Mandalay & Pyin Oo Lwin in 1027 Operation – with spearhead elements of the MDY PDF reaching 19km away from the city, where artillery can be heard from inside the city!). Unless the reason for the whatever faction winning is its own competence and not another’s incompetence, such offensives might lose steam and end up in a bloody stalemate. If the spearhead that is about to reach an objective is too small, is through extreme terrain, etc., then it is likely that the offensive isn’t reaching the objective.

Yes, I understand, it is a terrible thing to be threatened by a systematic danger of a fascist government, even worse than the sporadic danger of being bombed or being close to the contact line...but the first thing is, SURVIVE. And, if you take shelter in a fascist-ruled city, be prepared to leave any time if their policies begin to get suspiciously deadly.

Like banning or harming minority groups on official basis, requiring extremely strict documentation and surveillance, conscription, etc. But don’t flee like a sheep upon the slightest indication danger – your best option is to stay home.

If you cannot leave, you’ll know what to do if you read until the end. For that, read on to the next chapter.

*** Staying

Stay, where? In safety. Being bombed in rebel territory alone is not an unsafe option. Nor extortion rackets ran by whatever armed groups or gangs. Both of them, you can avoid: you can pay off the rackets and the bombs are only random. Even if many others get themselves frightened to death, you shouldn’t listen to common people – rather, rely on what insiders from either faction tell you or observe what they’re doing. A sign of retreat might be that lots of trucks are moving away from the frontline, or bases and government buildings had been emptied and silent. Some signs can tell you of famine, of disease, of a spike extreme inflation, etc.

But a truly unsafe place is where danger is unavoidable. Like mass conscription, and becoming the literal, active frontline. That’s when you should flee.

Most places would not be fully safe and assured. There might be nightly rackets & arrests in the cities; you might be of a certain ethnicity subject to discrimination. The best option against whichever such minor – but still threatening, dangers, is to mutual aid. Get friends. Lots of friends. That’s why I said, one’s best option is to stay home. Because, at home, it is probable that you have the most friends, the best reputation, and the most connections to the rulers. The human race’s most admirable feature, and arguably, the specie’s greatest strength is the instinct and widespread practise of mutual aid.

Now, here’s what exactly to do with your friends and relatives, or really people willing to help you out:

 - Form a procedure to get somebody out of trouble, or everyone out of trouble in case of an emergency. In case of mass arrests, a battle, lynching, or even an attempted genocide, (especially if you’re a minority like a Kurd). For example, “ when this & this happens, and we need to contact, do XXX or come to XXX”. One experience I have, is, that a certain person’s family suddenly fled the village when it was carpet bombed. His house received punishment from two bombs’ shrapnel, and a third bomb set a tree on fire. But the fellow was outside in another place. And no phone line nor internet was available. Long story short, they only met each other after three confusing days.

 - Always ask, and share each other rumours and news.

 - Get everybody’s Gmail, even if not phone number. A Gmail is almost always never discarded. But, use a secure messaging with encryption and easy-to-wipe chat history. Gmail is not the greatest messaging app for safety, however.

One experience I have is, a person joined the resistance (People’s Defence Forces), regretted it immediately, and, when the frontline collapsed, tried to desert with three comrades, trying to go to regime territory where his family was. He wisely left his phone and whatever military objects he had, travelling light. I believe they might have simply had an empty phone. The area he had to cross was riddled with mines, ambush sites, massacres and frequent shootouts. So what happened? He went missing! Until now, his location is unknown. Even if his Gmail wasn’t on his empty phone, the moment he needed to do any online activity, he would have to sign in.

 - Don’t be stingy! If you are not whole-hearted in helping out, and you show it, you might not get help when you need it.

 - If you get prosperous, help others too (thus you’re no longer a source of jealousy)! A good reputation is important, especially in a civil war where localized armies are more common. You might be spared from being shot because they fear your popularity. One interesting person I know funded a whole army for the resistance in collaboration with many others and also pays for pro-Junta militia (though not to an extent of buying guns)

And, another piece of advice is, to stay under protection. What I mean is you should have somebody or somebodies in positions of power, willing to protect you, in where you call home. Having rich friends help, too. Or being rich yourself. The fascist is always scared of the capitalist, thus he protects it.

Most factions, tempted to rob with their weapons and weary of traitors, can turn against you in a whim. There was one guerrilla group in Burma (Zero Guerrilla Group) who shot a poet, paranoid of informants. They later apologized.

And, also, here are some other things to do at your residence:

 - Build a bomb shelter, or a really good dug-out/trench. The earlier the better, but do it with deliberation. If you have a basement, reinforce its entrance with sandbags, etc. My guide to building a bunker is that you should simply stack two layers of sandbags in all directions under a staircase, leaving a fairly wide slot that faces inside the house. A wide entrance is less likely to kill you than being late to take shelter.

If there’s no or a very small staircase, then I suggest using a room that has the highest layers of walls from every direction.

You can be lavish and build a whole basement under there, or just construct this shelter in an equivalent manner:

 1. Find a room, with the most walls protecting it from each direction

 2.Place two beds side-by-side in the most protected corner of the room.

 3. Stack two layers of sandbags on top of the bed and also two layers on each side. Because this is a bed and not a staircase, it is advisable to add rocks, planks, etc., to the bomb shelter. On a staircase, it would’ve impeded mobility

 4. If you add planks, tie them together (but not nail them as it you might have to replace some planks)and add something else on top of it to keep it steady.

Or if you have no spare room, no staircase, dig up a trench in L upside-down pattern in a place that’s only a few steps from your house’s entrance/exit.

In a straight trench, if the one shell lands at the entrance, the blast and the shrapnel will kill everyone in the trench; the L shape limits the blast or shrapnel entering to just one corner down the L.

Dig it as deep as the height of a man or at least half a height, then cover the roof with planks, roofing, or whatever that can serve as a solid base for sandbags to be stacked on. This time, nail planks together. And, by “planks”, I mean the ones that can hold up a lot of weight, rather than paper-thin ones those that are sometimes used to simply separate rooms in a house. Here, aside from sandbags, you can also simply pour the dug-up dirt over your original fortification of sandbags, rocks, etc. to consolidate it even more. Some plant trees on it so that after a time the roots a plant strengthen the soil beneath.

The L shape can be replaced by a Z shape trench.

This sort of out-door dugout is recommended for people that run a public place such as a shop or if you deem your location, or a nearby, would be a likely target for airstrikes, drones, and artillery. It is also usable as a communal trench in an apartment building.

What can these shelters do is protect you from shrapnel and the possible debris from your own house if the vibrations of explosions cause ceiling, etc., to shatter and fall. Also, it can take on quite a good deal of blast damage. But anything more than 120mm mortars will disintegrate any building.

 - Curry the favour of officials if necessary. But don’t do it to everybody. Follow a few relevant ones that actually can do good for you. Because if you try to go for everybody’s favour, then you look suspicious. You might even get assassinated by guerrillas. Or the whatever opposing side. (very common affair during early days of our Spring Revolution)

When war breaks out, the greatest likelihood in most parts of the world is corruption en-masse. For a trillion socio-economic reasons this happen but I consider them irrelevant to what I’ll say. The thing is, State officials, federal officials, etc., have a great pride. Because they hold a public office. I will say that this is universal across various cultures. The culture of the nation-state would be one of the factors of this pride.

Despite being very poorly paid in third world countries. And working like cows.

For example, in Burma, some La.Wa.Kha. officials (Ministry of Immigration & Social Control – close translation), lower officials more specifically, get paid less than $200. I’m certain many other third world countries have that too.

Add that to economic stress caused by war, and increased chances for corruption and also less supervision. BOOOM. There you have it. Corruption all around.

The most malicious corrupt beaurocrats are often not the most desperate ones but the most ego-centric and lost for his own indentity.

Therefore, when you curry favour, you should ego-boost the said official or authority. They love it. Pretend you care for him, pretend you respect him, pretend he is reliable and well-trusted. What can you do? The conditions have stripped him of his honors and tiny wealth he has.

Whether he’s an outright fascist or a humane person, he definitely needs an ego-boost.

And lastly, you should be prepared for a collapse of systemic services. Simply, keep a supply of batteries, thread, tape, needles, imperishable food (even grains work: some beans and peas can be eaten after boiled; resins, too), some sort of machete or hatchet to cut down firewood or clear a path in thickets, gas stove. As well as a radio or walkie talkie as a means to be communicated to.

But, just because u have such supplies doesn’t mean you should stay in such a deserted place. Leave if necessary...but do it securely.

*** Running

Now, after staying in safety, now you must run – in safety. Wherever you may flee to, for whichever reason, you must be prepared. Otherwise as fortunes of war would have it, you’d be screwed big deal. Then, how exactly do you prepare for your flight?

First thing: even if you live in a great bunker proof to all ordinances but nuclear, with a century’s worth of supplies. If the contact line gets to you, you are assured to die as a civilian. More probable scenario is you wish to wait out the battles in a bunker under your yard with a hydraulic generator and a great stash of food. Perhaps to protect your belongings. Or because you deem it too dangerous or too late to evacuate. Let me show you: during the Battle of Bhamao, the city received airstrikes from the fascist Tat as often as once per two hours to six hours. And it’s been going on for a year. Try surviving that! Let’s compare that to a battle of similar importance and casualties: Battle of Hue. 58,000 shells were fired from ARVN side alone. See my point? You cannot, as a civilian, survive a pitched, urban battle in a bunker.

First thing is intelligence. Many civil wars can look like the Sagaing Front in Burma: as you drive by, you pass through one Pyu Saw Hti (fascist militia group) checkpoint, and then you have a People’s Defence Force checkpoint, and then two army checkpoints, and then you come across a PDF convoy with half a dozen pickup trucks. And then you come upon a large village who have ununiformed men in swords and Kalashnikovs. In this sort of territorial situation, you might be ambushed by the guerrillas, suspected to be a guerrilla, or you might tell the wrong lie at a checkpoint manned by men without uniform (or just generally say something of goodwill towards their opposing side). We once travelled within’ hours of what I fancy two clashes/shootouts (with missing what was a spectacular ambush five minutes away. Yikes). While still having a planned and safe route, provided by person who is well-versed in that area.

I dare say alot of people have died during wars because they don’t know how to travel safely, or where to travel to, or even what sort of place they’re dealing with. Starvation can take you if you cannot progress quick enough. Disease, if in the great wilderness. Bullets, if you come across an offensive; artillery if you walk into a battle, and worse if you’re arrested or robbed. And those lots of people died the worst deaths out of anybody, speaking from experience.

So, it is important to know what’s happening, who’s who and which’s where. Know where clashes, ambushes, and robberies are likely to happen. Intelligence is key. Generally, car drivers, especially those that commute from one side’s territory to the other, are very knowledgeable. As well as men from the actual forces/armies fighting the civil war. Of course, also keep up with the news, needless to say. But they sometimes contain propagandized claimed in them.

Another point for preparation is: pack up your stuff! When you’re certain that you’ll have to flee your area, you should spread your furniture and possessions in a number of safer places, but ALWAYS keep your most valuable on you, like pure cash or gold. But, cash is always volatile. Vulnerable to inflation. Far more inflated in volume than gold, etc. Also more prone to stealing because of that. It cannot be really buried, and are flammable as well. So convert your cash into either very hard to destroy assets but equally valuable (like land) or jewelleries (easy to carry).

Other points of preparation include:

A supply of imperishable food, of course

A supply of medicine

An escort (or just go with a random fellow traveller you find cooperative), or at least find a convoy of another vehicles to stick to (make sure they’re not military because you cannot be identified as a civilian at 300 metres, nor will IEDs discriminate between a fascist soldier and an innocent civilian)

Knowledge of the local area

Backup plan if things go wrong: getting lost, detained, mechanical problem, or your guide not arriving.

*** Some Basic Knowledge, and More

 - Under fire: if you’re under indirect fire, such as artillery, mortars and indiscriminate bombing, don’t move around.

Lie prone. DO NOT LET YOUR CHEST TOUCH THE GROUND. Instead, lie on your belly. Explosions vibrate the ground: which can damage your heart (fatally) if in contact. Cover your ears and head, and open your mouth as well. That is, to protect your eardrums.

Going prone will allow you survives mortar shells as close as 10m away. Go watch some drone bombing footage and you’ll know.

 - Under direct fire: if you’re actively being shot at, and over 300m away, you can safely run (even if you don’t stay low)Run in zig-zags and in irregular patterns, and try to rush from cover to cover and not run a long way away.

You cannot generally survive direct fire by staying immobile. Because either your assailant closes in, guns blazing, and by the time they get to you, you’d probably be dead already. Or, it is common that they can use bigger munitions (RPGs, grenade launchers, etc.)from a distance. You can’t run forever, so hiding some distance away should be your general goal.

 - Know how to use a firearm

 - Know how to do first aid & know how to treat basic diseases (saves money and lives).

 - Know how to lie well. It is very likely that you will have to lie about your identity, what you are & were doing, or even about something you just did before their eyes.

 - Always delete your socials, or really anywhere that might be evidence for the soldier manning the checkpoint to shoot you (images, search history included) and power-off your phone, and them put it in a hard-to-find, hard-to-reach place like in the bottom of your handbag’s secondary slot. Don’t hide it explicitly though, it is extremely suspicious.

 - Don’t trust anybody fully. It’s a civil war. The worst of times for you; the best of times for cheats, scammers and robbers beside collaborators with fascism.

 - Avoid conscription. Getting conscripted easily means that your life is ruined. Aside from the danger dying a ‘hero’ in the frontline.

 - Don’t go out for a few minutes (maybe less than a minute) after hearing anti-aircraft fire! It may fall down on your head! But most likely it will land on some random field or roof of a house.

I don’t expect you to treat this as a total, all-covering manual. I speak from a particular perspective that may not apply in every situation. But do make the best of these pages. If you are an insurgent, or wish to see something for sabotage and armed resistance, it’s not here. But, for purposes of survival and mutual aid, it is appropriate.

I have illustrated some points in which I call for docility and submitting to authority. But, it is equally appropriate to remember that you should not abandoisa route of resistance. In fact, I encourage it. Would ISIS have ever been crushed, if the brave Iraqis, the brave Kurds, the brave Syrians, left their homes, left the path towards darkness and obscurity, and took up arms against an enemy that was fanatic, inhumane, and well-armed, fielding lesser men, guns, machines, and while remaining human? Nay!

If all had took to Baghdad and Damascus and boarded ships, or had quietly donned veils and hijabs, and continued their existance under any governance, we would have a far bleaker world. This is a guide for survival. You will bow down and produce silence when the Grim Reaper stares down your door. Because you will live another day. So that when the torchbearers of freedom and liberation stares at you, don’t cower! Go forth! If you can resist the tyrant, and is willing to, do so!

*** Recommended reads | ~~

<biblio>
Recommended reads:

Zombie Survival Guide, Guerrilla Days In Ireland, The Anarchist Cookbook, various home defence guides, war memoirs from civilians, and military training manuals
</biblio>