The 7 EAO Alliance is a coalition of seven ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in Myanmar.
Led by General Yawd Serk, the alliance includes signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) such as the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Pa-O National Liberation Organisation (PNLO), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), and Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC). The objectives pursued by the 7 EAO Alliance include: establishing a federal democratic union, fostering peace through political dialogue, engaging in negotiations with stakeholders, and addressing the country's political crisis. The 7 EAO Alliance was formed on 18 March 2024. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The Karen National Union is a political organisation with an armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), that claims to represent the Karen people of Myanmar. It operates in mountainous eastern Myanmar and has underground networks in other areas of Myanmar where Karen people live as a minority group.
The Karen National Liberation Army is the military branch of the Karen National Union (KNU), which campaigns for the self-determination of the Karen people of Myanmar. The KNLA has been fighting the Burmese government since 1960s as part of the Karen conflict, which has been ongoing since 1949.
Insurgencies have been ongoing in Myanmar since 1948, the year the country, then known as Burma, gained independence from the United Kingdom. The conflict has largely been ethnic-based, with several ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw, for self-determination. Despite numerous ceasefires and the creation of autonomous self-administered zones in 2008, many armed groups continue to call for independence, increased autonomy, or the federalisation of the country. The conflict is the world's longest ongoing civil war, having spanned more than seven decades.
The Kayan New Land Party is a political party in Myanmar. Its armed wing is Kayan New Land Army.
Ceasefires in Myanmar have been heavily utilized by the Burmese government as a policy to contain ethnic rebel groups and create tentative truces. The first ceasefire was arranged by the State Law and Order Restoration Council in 1989, specifically spearheaded by Khin Nyunt, then the Chief of Military Intelligence, with the Kokang-led National Democratic Alliance Army, which had recently split from the Communist Party of Burma due to internal conflicts.
The Chin National Front is a Chin nationalist political organization in Myanmar. According to its website, its armed wing, the Chin National Army (CNA), fights the government of Myanmar. The group was founded on 20 March 1988. This organization claims to seek a Federal Union based on self-determination, ethnic equality and democracy. The Chin people are one of the four founding members of the Union of Burma. In 2021, CNF became a member of the National Unity Consultative Council.
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) is an armed resistance group in the Kokang region of Myanmar (Burma). The army has existed since 1989, having been the first one to sign a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government. The ceasefire lasted for about two decades.
The Ta'ang National Liberation Army is a political organization and armed group in Myanmar. It is the armed wing of the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF).
The United Nationalities Federal Council is a coalition of five opposition groups in Myanmar. In 2011, the council was formed by 11 opposition groups that campaigns for the rights of various ethnic minorities in Myanmar. Six of the UNFC's members have successfully made or are in the process of making peace negotiations and permanent ceasefire agreements with the government. The group's armed wing is the Federal Union Army (FUA).
The Mon National Liberation Army is a Mon insurgent group in Myanmar (Burma). It is the armed wing of the New Mon State Party (NMSP), and has been fighting government forces since 1949, though under different names. The NMSP signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on 15 October 2015 with several other insurgent groups and the government of Myanmar.
The Arakan Liberation Party is a Rakhine political party in Myanmar (Burma). The party has an armed wing, the Arakan Liberation Army (ALA), which has 700–1,000 personnel. The ALA signed a ceasefire agreement with the government of Myanmar on 5 April 2012 and became a signatory of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on 15 October 2015.
The Arakan Liberation Army is a Rakhine insurgent group in Myanmar (Burma). It is the armed wing of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP). The ALA signed a ceasefire agreement with the government of Myanmar on 5 April 2012.
The Karen National Defence Organisation is the older of two main military branches of the Karen National Union (KNU), the other being the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). The KNDO fought against the government of Myanmar from 1947 until 1949 as the armed wing of the KNU. It was succeeded by the KNLA when KNDO militias were combined with KNLA forces in 1970.
The Pa-O National Liberation Army is a Pa-O insurgent group in Myanmar (Burma). It is the armed wing of the Pa-O National Liberation Organisation.
The Union Peace Conference – 21st Century Panglong was a peace conference, the first session of which was held from 31 August to 4 September 2016 at the Myanmar Convention Centre 2 in Naypyidaw, Myanmar (Burma). Three follow-up sessions were held in May 2017, July 2018, and August 2020.
The Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), officially the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Ethnic Armed Organisations, was a landmark ceasefire agreement between the government of Myanmar and representatives of various ethnic insurgent groups, officially known as "ethnic armed organisations" (EAOs) by the government. The draft was agreed upon by a majority of the invited parties on 31 March 2015, and the agreement was signed by President Thein Sein on 15 October 2015. The signing was witnessed by observers and delegates from the United Nations, the United Kingdom, Norway, Japan and the United States. A ceremony is held by the government annually on the anniversary of the signing of the agreement.
The Lahu Democratic Union is a Lahu political and insurgent group in Myanmar. It signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the government of Myanmar on 13 February 2018. The LDU is part of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and its military coalition, the Federal Union Army (FUA). After the February 2021 coup, the LDU split into two rival factions with Kyar Solomon leading the pro-Junta group.
The Myanmar civil war, also called the Burmese Spring Revolution, Burmese civil war or People's Defensive War, is an ongoing civil war following Myanmar's long-running insurgencies, which escalated significantly in response to the 2021 military coup d'état and the subsequent violent crackdown on anti-coup protests. The exiled National Unity Government and major ethnic armed organisations repudiated the 2008 Constitution and called instead for a democratic federal state. Besides engaging this alliance, the SAC also contends with other anti-SAC forces in areas under its control. Hannah Beech of The New York Times observed the insurgents are apportioned into hundreds of armed groups scattered across the country.
The Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee is an alliance and coalition of seven ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) in Myanmar seeking to negotiate with the central government. Four FPNCC members – the Arakan Army (AA), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) – are also members of the Northern Alliance. The FPNCC is the largest negotiating body of EAOs in the country. The Chinese government formally engages with the FPNCC, which is also recognised by the Chinese government as an EAO negotiation body with the Burmese central government.