The Kawthoolei Armed Forces (Burmese: ကော့သူးလေတပ်မတော်; abbr. KAF) is an ethnic Karen rebel alliance.[2]
| Kawthoolei Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| ကော်သူးလေတပ်မတော် | |
| Dates of operation | October 2014 – present |
| Ideology | Karen nationalism Separatism |
| Allies | National Unity Government of Myanmar |
| Opponents |
|
| Battles and wars | Myanmar civil war (2021–present) |
Origins
editDuring the leadup to Burma's independence from Britain, Karen groups were unwillingly to be in a Bamar-dominated country but faced internal divides over the territory of a Karen state and the extent to which they should respect Bamar demands. With this context, the KNU headquarters ordered the establishment of Karen defence militias, known as Karen National Defence Organisations, on 17 July 1947. In October 1947, the dominant political party of Burma- the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL), asked the KNU to create a Karen state within Burma, but the KNU refused, demanding more territory.[3]
Following independence, intercommunal violence grew in the Irrawaddy Delta. This violence was blamed on the KNDO by official government accounts, but such incidents were likely carried out by other Karen militias. Prime minister U Nu and Karen leader Saw Ba U Gyi attempted to de-escalate by touring the delta. To build newfound trust, U Nu allowed the KNDO to recapture Twante near Yangon from the Communist Party of Burma. The KNDO successfully took the Twante canal back but Bamar news organisations were badly informed about this operation, leading to many in Yangon to panic about an impending Karen insurrection.[4]
On 1 September 1948, joint KNDO and ethnic Karen military police seized control of Thaton and Mawlamyine. This first move was poorly coordinated and would eventually spark the Karen conflict. Just four days later, the KNDO allowed central government forces to land in Mawlamyine before handing the city back.[5] While the government had doubted the intentions of the KNU, this occupation increased their fears. Conflict increased as a series of retaliatory incidents and massacres escalated following a Bamar militia killing 200 Karens during a Christmas eve service in a Palaw church.[6]
Eventually on 31 January 1949, the KNU declared war on the government and the KNDO was outlawed just four days afterwards. U Nu set up Sitwundan militias who began to demand KNDOs and ethnic Karen military police to surrender their arms before engaging in battle. The Sitwundans surrounded the KNU headquarters in Insein where local KNDOs had raided the armoury earlier. Nearby KNDOs were called in to defend the quarters with the garrison reaching over 400 members during the Battle of Insein.[7] The KNDO successfully infiltrated Mingaladon airport four miles from Insein, but chose to only seize ammunition.[8] The central government attacked Insein with battleships from the Hlaing River.[9] During this time, certain portions of the countryside were under KNDO control, including Hinthada District in northern Ayeyarwady Region. The KNDOs in the delta attacked Pyu and Pathein as a distractionary attempt but ultimately failed to do anything but escalate tensions further.[10]
The Battle of Insein eventually ended in the Burmese government's favour. As KNDO positions north of Yangon fell day by day, KNDOs quietly retreated across the Hlaing River and escaped into the countryside. [11] In the waning days of the battle, the KNU declared the state of Kawthoolei on 20 May 1949 and reorganized the military forces under their control called the Kawthoolei Armed Forces. The KNDOs retained control of a lot of significant countryside and allowed the conflict to continue with new offensives.[12]Proposed Merger
editIn October 2014, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, the KNU/KNLA Peace Council, the Karen National Defence Organisation, and the Karen National Union allegedly decided to unite into the KAF. However, many within the KNU and KNDO leadership swiftly denied that it agreed, claiming that those who joined the KAF made a "personal choice."[13][14][15][16]
Tensions
editAfter DKBA-5, the KNU/KNLA Peace Council, and the KNLA signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement a year later, a statement ostensibly written by the KAF denounced the NCA for solidifying military rule in Myanmar.[17]
2021 coup d'etat
editAfter the 2021 coup, the KNU and DKBA verbally agreed to reunite into the KAF in August 2022 after the latter group's negotiations with the Tatmadaw fell apart.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Ethnic Karen leaders come to historic agreement to reunite KNU, DKBA. Myanmar Now. August 30, 2022. Archived December 2, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Smith, Martin (1999-06-01). Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 284–287. ISBN 978-1-85649-660-5.
- ^ Smith 1999, p. 85-6.
- ^ Smith 1999, p. 111-2.
- ^ Smith 1999, p. 112.
- ^ Smith 1999, p. 117.
- ^ Smith 1999, p. 116-7.
- ^ Smith 1999, p. 138.
- ^ Sein, Mahn Htein Win Aung (29 October 2019). "ကေအန်ယူနဲ့ ကော်သူလေးအရေး". BNI (in Burmese). Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ Smith 1999, p. 118.
- ^ Smith 1999, pp. 140.
- ^ Smith 1999, pp. 141.
- ^ Karen rebels meet to discuss merger proposal. October 21, 2014. Naw Noreen. Democratic Voice of Burma Archived December 4, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Karen Armed Groups to Form United ‘Kawthoolei Armed Forces,’ but Questions Remain. October 16, 2014. Karen News. Archived December 4, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Karen Community Welcomes Kawthoolei Armed Force despite Controversy. October 22, 2014. Phophtaw. Burma News International. Archived March 10, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Karen Rebel Groups Plan Military Cooperation. The Irrawaddy. Saw Yan Naing. October 14, 2014. Archived October 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kawthoolei Armed Forces Disagrees about the NCA Signing. Burma Link. October 8, 2015. Archived October 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
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