Not to be confused with the Karen National Liberation Army.
Karen National Army
ကရင်အမျိုးသားတပ်မတော်
Flag of the Myanmar Border Guard Forces and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, both used by the Karen National Army
Leaders
Colonel Saw Chit Thu
Dates of operation
11 January 2024–present
Headquarters
Shwe Kokko[1]
Active regions
Kayin State
Size
7,000+[2]
Allies
State allies
State Administration Council[3]
Opponents
Kawthoolei Army[4]
Karen National Liberation Army
Battles and wars
Internal conflict in Myanmar
Myanmar civil war (2021–present)
Karen Conflict
Siege of Myawaddy
Preceded by Karen Border Guard Forces Democratic Karen Buddhist Army Karen Peace Force
The Karen National Army, (Burmese: ကရင်အမျိုးသားတပ်မတော်; abbreviated KNA) formerly the Karen Border Guard Force (Karen BGF), is a primarily Karen Buddhist ethnic army active in Kayin State, Myanmar, which split off from the Myanmar Army in January 2024. The KNA was formed as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) in December 1994 after the insurgent group split off of the Karen National Liberation Army. Shortly after, the DKBA signed a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar Army, officially joining the army as the Karen Border Guard Force (Karen BGF) alongside the Karen Peace Force in 2009.[1] In January 2024, after intensified rebel operations throughout Myanmar, the Karen BGF began distancing itself from the ruling military junta,[5] eventually splitting off from the Army and rebranding themselves the "Karen National Army" by April.[6]
^ ab"Kayin Border Guard Force celebrates ninth anniversary". Frontier Myanmar. 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024.
^"All Karen Border Guard Force units to be rebranded as The Karen National Army". Karen News. 2 March 2024. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024.
^Caleb Quinley; Khun Kali (2024-05-01). "A sanctioned strongman and the 'fall' of Myanmar's Myawaddy". Al Jazeera.
^"Into the lion's den: The failed attack on Shwe Kokko". Frontier Myanmar. 11 May 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024.
^"Powerful BGF leader Protecting Chinese- Gangs at Shwe Kokko Declares Autonomous Zone in Myawaddy – Colonel Chit Thu also ends Karen BGF's Proxy Role Under the Junta". Karen Information Center. 26 January 2024. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024.
^"Karen BGF to rename itself 'Karen National Army'". Myanmar Now. 6 March 2024.
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