Kachin State is the northernmost state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east ; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Region and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is 89,041 km2 (34,379 sq mi). The capital of the state is Myitkyina. Other important towns include Bhamo, Mohnyin and Putao.
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 (Burma). It operates in mountainous eastern Myanmar, and has underground networks in other areas of Myanmar where Karen people live as a minority group. In the Karen language, this area is called Kawthoolei. Some of the Karen, led primarily by the Karen National Union (KNU), have waged a war against the central government since early 1949. The aim of the KNU at first was independence. Since 1976 the armed group has called for a federal system rather than an independent Karen State.
The United Wa State Army, abbreviated as the UWSA or the UWS Army, is the military wing of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), the de facto ruling party of Wa State. It is an ethnic minority army of an estimated 20,000–25,000 Wa soldiers, led by Bao Youxiang. The UWSA was formed after the collapse of the armed wing of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1989.
The Panglong Agreement was reached in Panglong, Southern Shan State, between the Burmese government under Aung San and the Shan, Kachin, and Chin peoples on 12 February 1947. Aung Zan Wai, Pe Khin, Bo Hmu Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Dr. Sein Mya Maung, Myoma U Than Kywe were among the negotiators of the historical Panglong Conference negotiated with Bamar leader General Aung San and other ethnic leaders in 1947. The agreement accepted "Full autonomy in internal administration for the Frontier Areas" in principle and envisioned the creation of a Kachin State by the Constituent Assembly. It continued the financial relations established between the Shan states and the Burmese federal government, and envisioned similar arrangements for the Kachin Hills and the Chin Hills.
The internal conflict in Myanmar is a series of insurgencies in Myanmar that began shortly after the country, then known as Burma, gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1948. 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 groups continue to call for independence, increased autonomy, or the federalisation of the country. The conflict is also the world's longest ongoing civil war, having spanned more than seven decades.
The All Burma Students' Democratic Front is an opposition group in Myanmar. It was founded on 1 November 1988, after the 8888 protests in Yangon. The group's leadership consists mostly of former student exiles.
The Shan State Army was one of the largest insurgent groups that fought government forces in Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). The SSA was founded in 1964 after the merging of two existing insurgent groups.
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 Kachin conflict or Kachin War is one of the multiple conflicts collectively referred to as the internal conflict in Myanmar. Kachin insurgents have been fighting government soldiers since 1961, with only one ceasefire being brokered between them, which lasted for 17 years from 1994 to 2011.
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.
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 60–100 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 Karen National Defence Organisation is one of two military branches of the Karen National Union (KNU), the other being the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). The original KNDO fought against the government of Myanmar from 1947 until 1949 as the armed wing of the KNU, until the KNLA was made the official armed wing.
Border Guard Forces are subdivisions of the Tatmadaw consisting of former insurgent groups in Myanmar under the instruction of Regional Military Commands. The government announced its plan to create Border Guard Forces in April 2009, in the hopes of ending hostilities between the government and insurgent groups leading up to the 2010 general election.
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 PNLA, along with other smaller Pa-O military groups, administers the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone, which consists of three townships in southern Shan State: Hopong, Hsi Hseng, and Pinlaung townships.
The Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement 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 Muse offensive, also known as the Mong Ko offensive, was a joint military operation by members of the Northern Alliance, which consists of the Arakan Army (AA), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The groups targeted towns and border posts along the China–Myanmar border in Muse Township, Myanmar.
Saw Mutu Say Poe is a Karen military and political leader. He is the chairman of the Karen National Union, first elected at the 15th KNU Congress on 21 December 2012 and reelected for another term on 10 April 2017. As a member of the Karen National Liberation Army, Poe maintained the rank of general officer and served as the commander in chief of the group prior to his election as chairman of the Karen National Union.
The Myanmar peace process refers to the nation led discussions aimed at relieving the internal armed conflict that has been simmering in Myanmar since before it gained independence from Britain in 1948. Many of the events that have taken place can be attributed to tensions surrounding the treatment of the numerous different ethnic minorities. This conflict involves both the Myanmar government and military, and the 16 armed ethnic minorities in Myanmar. In recent years tension between the Myanmar government and the military has been increasing, with the military still holding position as the most powerful political force in Myanmar.
Ye Baw Than Khae is the current leader and chairman of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF), an insurgent group based in Kayin State, Myanmar (Burma). He was elected chairman of All Burma Students' Democratic Front on 10 April 2001 at the sixth general conference.
