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Karen National Liberation Army

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Karen National Liberation Army
LeadersGOC Saw Johnny
Lt Gen Saw Baw Kyaw Heh
Dates of operation1949 – present
HeadquartersLay Wah
Manerplaw (until 1995)
Active regionsKayah State
Kayin State
Tanintharyi Region
Bago Region
Mon State[1]
Myanmar-Thailand border
IdeologyKaren nationalism
Self-determination
Federalism
Part of Karen National Union
Allies
4K Coalition[2][3]
OpponentsState opponents

Non-state opponents

Battles and warsInternal conflict in Myanmar

The Karen National Liberation Army (Burmese: ကရင်အမျိုးသား လွတ်မြောက်ရေးတပ်မတော်; abbreviated KNLA) is the military branch of the Karen National Union (KNU), which campaigns for the self-determination of the Karen people of Myanmar (formerly Burma). The KNLA has been fighting the Burmese government since 1960s as part of the Karen conflict, which has been ongoing since 1949.

The KNLA was reported to have had a strength of approximately 10,000 in 1970,[8] 20,000 in 1980, 3,000 in 2001, 5,000 in 2006,[9] 6,000 in 2012, and 7,000 in 2014.[10] As of early 2021, the KNLA is estimated to have around 15,000 troops.[11] The army is divided into seven brigades[9] and a 'Special Force' reserved for special operations.[12]

History

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Background

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At the time of Burmese independence from the British in 1948, there was considerable tension between the Karen community and the Burmese majority. Some Karens sought independence while others attempted co-existence within Burma. The KNLA was preceded by the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), an armed organisation formed by the KNU in 1947 to defend Karen communities and interests.[13] Most KNDO soldiers had previously served in the forces of British Burma.

In early 1949, the Burmese government arrested the ethnically Karen leader of the armed forces, Gen. Smith Dun, and replaced him with Burmese nationalist Ne Win. Continued attacks against Karen dominated townships around Rangoon and the arrest of Karen political leaders led the KNU to declare armed struggle, and the world's longest running civil war began.

Early in the fighting, Karen forces overran much of northern Burma including towns such as Mandalay and established strong positions outside Rangoon at Insein Township.[14] But lacking a port from which to receive military supplies, the Karen forces gradually withdrew to the southeast of Burma.

Founding of the KNLA

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In 1967, the Karen National United Party began to change its approach to the war, withdrawing more from the Irrawaddy delta and, in 1976, changing its policy on wanting an independent state, and joining a new alliance, the National Democratic Front. This alliance of armed ethnic political parties supported a federal union of Burma.[15] Around this time the Karen National Liberation Council was formed as a new emergency administration by the KNU, which then founded the Karen National Liberation Army.[8]

In 1970, the KNLA was reorganized into 7 brigades and additional special battalions under the personal command of Bo Mya. These units combined KNLA soldiers with local KNDO militias in each brigade's territory quickly growing the size of the KNLA to 10,000 well-armed and experienced soldiers.[8]

1990–2010

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In 1994 a group of Buddhist soldiers in the KNLA, claiming that the KNLA was unfairly dominated by Christians, broke away from the KNLA to form a new force, the DKBA, which soon organised a cease-fire with the Burmese military government.

In 1995 KNLA lost Kawmoora and Myawaddy to the DKBA. This considerably reduced the KNLA's border trade taxation.[16]

A group calling itself the KNU/KNLA Peace Council, led by the former KNLA brigade 7 commander Brig-Gen Htay Maung (Htein Maung), broke away from the KNLA in February 2007, and organised a peace talk as well as a cease-fire agreement with the Burmese military government without the approval of the KNU central committee.[17]

On 14 February 2008, Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan, the KNU secretary-general, was assassinated in Thailand.

On 13 May 2009, a senior Myanmar Army officer, Brig.-Gen. Kaung Myat, was killed by the KNLA. He had been the commander of the No. 5 Military Operations Command.[18] The next month, on 19 June, DKBA soldiers began attacking the KNLA Brigade 7 headquarters, which they then captured on 23 June.[19]

2010–present

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See also: 2010–12 Myanmar border clashes

During 2010, increasing numbers of Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) soldiers defected to the KNLA, or fled to Thailand, following the announcement that the DKBA would be absorbed into the Burmese military government's Border Guard. The DKBA had previously been allied to, but distinct from, government forces.

In November 2010, following the general election of 2010, large parts of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army are alleged to have mutinied and re-aligned themselves with the KNLA, resulting in the escalating conflict with junta troops. The two rebel armies have formed an alliance, in advance of a possible crackdown by the military government.[20]

The KNLA, along with its parent organisation the KNU, signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the government of Myanmar on 15 October 2015, along with several other insurgent groups.[21]

In September 2016, KNLA fighters began clashing with members of the Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA), the armed wing of the New Mon State Party (NMSP), in the Tanintharyi Region. Both the KNU and NMSP were signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) at the time of the fighting. A temporary bilateral truce was reached between the two groups on 14 March 2018.[1]

Tensions between the KNU and the Tatmadaw increased as unrest swept the country following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. On 27 March 2021, KNLA Brigade 5 overran a Myanmar Army base near the Thai border, killing 10 soldiers including a deputy battalion commander. The Myanmar army launched multiple airstrikes on Karen villages in retaliation.[22][23]

On 27 April 2021, the KNLA captured a Myanmar Army base along the Salween river, bordering Thailand's Mae Sam Laep sub-district. A civilian on the Thai side of the border was wounded by a stray bullet during the battle.[24][25]

On 9 September 2021, KNLA Brigades 3 and 5 captured a Myanmar Army camp in Kyaukkyi Township in Bago Region.[26][27]

Foreign volunteers

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A number of foreigners have gone to Myanmar to fight for the KNLA. Dave Everett, a former Australian SAS soldier, fought for the KNLA and was later arrested in Australia for trying to steal money to fund the KNLA. Des Ball, a professor at ANU, has advised them on military strategy.

Thomas Bleming, an American, claims to have fought for the Karen and has written a book called War in Karen Country.[28]

Three of the KNLA's French volunteers were killed in action: Jean-Phillipe Courreges (killed 1985), Olivier Thiriat (killed 1989), and Guillaume Oillic (killed 1990). Jean-Phillipe Courreges belonged to the Groupe Union Défense, a white nationalist students union.

KNLA equipment

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Former flag of the KNLA (2006-2021), sometimes used on current uniforms with shoulder sleeve insignias

KNLA soldiers are issued M16 rifles from the Vietnam war era, and also AK-47s. They also have used RPG-7s, M203 grenade launchers, M79 grenade launchers as well as mortars. Some KNLA soldiers have used World War II-era M1 carbine. The KNLA has also used captured weapons from the Burmese army.

KNLA troops wear woodland camouflage uniforms like those from Thai forces.

Kawthoolei KNLA command structure

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KNLA operates 7 brigades in Kawthoolei areas. Each brigade has several battalions, as shown below.[29]

1st brigade operated in Doothahtu district

  • 1st Infantry battalion
  • 2st Infantry battalion
  • 3rd Infantry battalion
  • 1st KNDO battalion

2nd brigade operated in Tawoo district

  • 4th Infantry battalion
  • 5th Infantry battalion
  • 6th Infantry battalion
  • 2nd KNDO battalion

3th brigade operated in Klerlweehtu district

  • 7th Infantry battalion
  • 8th Infantry battalion
  • 9th Infantry battalion
  • 3rd KNDO battalion

4th brigade operated in Tavoy district

  • 10th Infantry battalion
  • 11th Infantry battalion
  • 12th Infantry battalion
  • 203rd Infantry battalion (special battalion)
  • 4th KNDO battalion

5th brigade operated in Mutraw district

  • 13th Infantry battalion
  • 14th Infantry battalion
  • 15th Infantry battalion
  • 102th Infantry battalion (special battalion)
  • 5th KNDO battalion

6th brigade operated in Dooplaya district

  • 16th Infantry battalion
  • 17th Infantry battalion
  • 18th Infantry battalion
  • 27th Infantry battalion
  • 103rd Infantry battalion (special battalion)
  • 201st Infantry battalion (special battalion)
  • 6th KNDO battalion
  • 8th KNDO battalion

7th brigade operated in Hpa-an district

  • 19th Infantry battalion
  • 20th Infantry battalion
  • 21st Infantry battalion
  • 22nd Infantry battalion
  • 24th Infantry battalion
  • 101st Infantry battalion (special battalion)
  • 202nd Infantry battalion (special battalion)
  • 7th KNDO battalion

References

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  1. ^ a b c "KNU and NMSP agree to temporary ceasefire". The Myanmar Times. 14 March 2018. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  2. ^ "Intense clash in Mese, Karenni State". Democratic Voice of Burma (in Burmese). 20 June 2023.
  3. ^ "The 4K, the clash in Mese, and the military movement of Karenni State". People's Spring (in Burmese). 20 June 2023.
  4. ^ "The Emergence of the ULA/AA and Question of the Rohingya Crisis". 26 January 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Message from Lieutenant General Bao Jue Hai, Deputy Commander of the Karen National Liberation Army, to the Graduation Ceremony of the Burmese People's Liberation Army". 8 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  6. ^ "PRA Magway". IPS Myanmar Peace Desk. 22 March 2022. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Pyusawhti militia". Myanmar NOW. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Smith, Martin (1 June 1999). Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 284–287. ISBN 978-1-85649-660-5.
  9. ^ a b "Yangon's anti-rebel offensive rages on". Asia Times Online. 18 October 2003. Archived from the original on 21 October 2003. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  10. ^ Rotberg, Robert I. (June 1998). Burma: Prospects for a Democratic Future, by Robert I. Rotberg. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0815791690. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  11. ^ "ชาติพันธุ์กระเหรี่ยง ต่อสู้เพื่อความฝัน "รัฐกะเหรี่ยง"". pptvhd36.com (in Thai). 30 March 2021. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  12. ^ 'Special Force' Joins KNLA on High Alert Archived 1 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Smith, Martin (1 June 1999). Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 85–86. ISBN 978-1-85649-660-5.
  14. ^ Smith, Martin (1 June 1999). Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-85649-660-5.
  15. ^ Karen National Union website www.knuhq.org
  16. ^ ISBN 87-11-23074-6 Carsten Jensen's source is Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan
  17. ^ Karen Peace Council Rejects BGF Proposal Archived 25 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "Senior Burmese Commander killed by KNLA Soldiers". Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  19. ^ "Mae La Refugees Fear DKBA Attack". Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  20. ^ "Myanmar rebel armies join forces". Al-Jazeera English. 12 November 2010. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  21. ^ "Myanmar signs ceasefire with eight armed groups". Reuters. 14 October 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  22. ^ "Six die in Myanmar Air Strikes on Karen Villages Near the Thai Border". Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Myanmar army launches air strikes in Karen state, group says". Reuters. 27 March 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Myanmar army base burned down by guerrillas; airstrikes follow". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  25. ^ "Myanmar insurgents say they razed military base near Thai border". Bangkok Post. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  26. ^ "KNLA and KNDO Capture Tatmadaw Camp". Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  27. ^ "KNU occupies Myanmar military base in Bago". Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  28. ^ Bleming, Thomas James (2007). War in Karen Country: Armed Struggle for a Free and Independent Karen State in Southeast Asia. New York; Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-69327-6. OCLC 609978846.
  29. ^ Aye Chan Su (19 October 2023). "မြန်မာပြည်ရှိ လက်နက်ကိုင်တော်လှန်ရေး အင်အားစုများ (အပိုင်း ၄)" [Armed Revolutionary Forces in Myanmar (Part 4)]. The Irrawaddy (in Burmese). Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
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