Karenni Nationalities Defence Force

The Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (Burmese: ကရင်နီအမျိုးသားများကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့, abbreviated: KNDF) is an armed insurgent group in Myanmar formed in response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. The group contains the PDFs formed by the National Unity Government. The KNDF also includes other organizations, such as the KNPP, which an official regard as "good relations between the EAOs and the public"[7] The KNDF has engaged in fighting with the junta, mainly with the 66th Light Infantry Division.[8]

Karenni Nationalities Defence Force
ကရင်နီအမျိုးသားများကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့
Founding leaderKhun Bedu[1]
Foundation31 May 2021 (2021-05-31)
Dates of operation31 May 2021 (2021-05-31) – present
CountryMyanmar
Active regionsKayah State
Shan State
Kayin State
Myanmar-Thailand border
IdeologyFederalism
Democracy
Minority rights
Size7000+ [2]
Allies4K Coalition[3][4]

Other allies

OpponentsState opponents:

 Myanmar (SAC)

Non-state opponents:

Pa-O National Army[6]
Battles and warsInternal conflict in Myanmar

On 6 June 2023, the KNDF issued a report on two-year anniversary of their founding. They stated that they have established 22 battalions and six military strategies. They also claimed that the junta now has control over Loikaw and other urban wards only, and most areas in the state are under the control of the resistance groups.[9]

Objective

In an interview, the spokesperson of the KNDF told media groups that the KNDF is a fusion of all Karenni State's dispersed youth forces. Uniting them to more effectively fight the junta. It was also stated that they have a shortage of weapons and ammunition.[7]

The objective is the same as that of other resistance groups in Myanmar; to overthrow the military junta. It is also to ensure the unity of the people in Karenni State, encourage collaboration and pay special attention to the Karenni National Progressive Party's position.[7]

Defence Policy

The KNDF, which was founded alongside the regional PDFs and other militias, follows the NUG and CRPH's defence policy, according to the KNDF's spokesperson.

The NUG's Ministry of Defence published a seven-point defense policy with the goal of ensuring that the defense industry is democratically controlled and operates according to a federal system.[10]

The policy encompasses leadership, defence policy formulation and execution, legislative and judicial checks and balances on the military sector, defence administration, the enforcement of internationally recognized laws and ethics, title and duty designation, financial management, and resource sharing.

According to the KNDF's spokesman, the KNDF, which was founded in accordance with the NUG's defense plans, has three Karenni State-based PDFs, two Shan State-based PDFs, and several EAOs.[11]

Conflicts

The KNDF has been involved in the Myanmar civil war since May 2021. In 2022, they engaged in 341 clashes with the regime killing 797 junta troops and suffering 65 losses.[12]

See also

References
  1. ""We are Getting Stronger to Complete the Revolution": Karenni Resistance Leader". The Irrawaddy. 15 June 2022. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  2. "တရုတ်နယ်စပ်က ရိုင်ဖယ်များနှင့် အားမာန်ပြည့်လာသည့် တပ်ဖွဲ့သစ်များ" [Armed groups rejuvenated by rifles from Chinese borderlands]. Irrawaddy (in Burmese). 6 June 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  3. "Intense clash in Mese, Karenni State". Democratic Voice of Burma (in Burmese). 20 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  4. "The 4K, the clash in Mese, and the military movement of Karenni State". People's Spring (in Burmese). 20 June 2023. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  5. "Pyusawhti militia". Myanmar NOW. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  6. "Myanmar Resistance Claims Victory Over Junta Outpost". The Irrawaddy. 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  7. "An interview with the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) information officer | Burma News International". bnionline.net. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  8. "Thousands flee air strikes as fighting erupts in Myanmar". CNN. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  9. "KNDF's Message On 2nd Anniversary Of Establishment". BNI - Myanmar Peace Monitor (in Burmese and English) (107): 2–3. 6 June 2023. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  10. "Defence Policy – ကာကွယ်ရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာန". mod.nugmyanmar.org. Archived from the original on 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  11. "Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) will carry out NUG's defense policies | Burma News International". bnionline.net. Archived from the original on 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  12. "Kayah Resistance: 797 Myanmar Junta Troops Killed Last Year". Irrawaddy. 7 January 2023. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
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