KNLA: Current Military Movement in Karen State Threatens Terms of NCA
KNLA: Current Military Movement in Karen State Threatens Terms of NCA
The Irrawaddy, 29 Sep 2016
URL: http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/knla-current-military-movement-in-karen-state-threatens-terms-of-nca.html
RANGOON — Military activity and tension at the site of the Hat Gyi dam in Karen State threatens a breakdown of Burma’s nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) as concerns grow over potential clashes between the Burma Army and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
The KNLA is the largest ethnic Karen armed group and the military wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), which signed the NCA with the previous government in 2015.
“If you cross the line [into our territory], there will be fighting,” Gen. Saw Johnny, KNLA Commander-in-Chief was quoted as saying by Karen Rivers Watch, a network of ethnic Karen community-based organizations.
Local concerns were exacerbated by a recent offensive in Myaing Gyi Ngu and Mae Tha Waw regions launched by the Burma Army and the BGF against a splinter group of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA). The outbreak of conflict displaced more than 4,000 villagers.
The KNLA is the largest ethnic Karen armed group and the military wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), which signed the NCA with the previous government in 2015.
“If you cross the line [into our territory], there will be fighting,” Gen. Saw Johnny, KNLA Commander-in-Chief was quoted as saying by Karen Rivers Watch, a network of ethnic Karen community-based organizations.
Local concerns were exacerbated by a recent offensive in Myaing Gyi Ngu and Mae Tha Waw regions launched by the Burma Army and the BGF against a splinter group of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA). The outbreak of conflict displaced more than 4,000 villagers.