# Kayan National Army
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{{Short description|Ethnic armed organisation in Myanmar}}
{{distinguish|text= the [Kuki National Army](/source/Kuki_National_Army) or the [Karen National Army](/source/Karen_National_Army)}}
{{infobox war faction
| name = Kayan National Army
| native_name = {{lang|my|ကယန်းအမျိုးသားတပ်မတော် }}
| war = [Internal conflict in Myanmar](/source/Internal_conflict_in_Myanmar)
| image = Flag of the Kayan people.svg
| caption = Flag of the Kayan National Army
| active = {{Start date|2024|10|29}} – present
| ideology = [Federalism](/source/Federalism)
[Democracy](/source/Democracy)
[Minority rights](/source/Minority_rights)
[Kayan Nationalism](/source/Kayan_people_(Myanmar))
| partof =
| clans =
| leaders = Khun Saungdu[ [https://www.irrawaddy.com/in-person/interview/new-ethnic-army-hopes-to-represent-all-kayan-people.html/ New Ethnic Army Hopes to Represent All Kayan People]. Saw Lwin. November 6, 2024. [The Irrawaddy](/source/The_Irrawaddy)]
| headquarters = [Pekon Township](/source/Pekon_Township), [Shan State](/source/Shan_State)
| area = [Demoso Township](/source/Demoso_Township)
[Loikaw Township](/source/Loikaw_Township)
[Pekon Township](/source/Pekon_Township)
| size =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| allies = '''State Allies'''
* {{flagdeco|Myanmar}} [National Unity Government](/source/National_Unity_Government_of_Myanmar){{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
'''Non-state allies'''
* {{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Karenni_Army.png}} [Karenni Army](/source/Karenni_Army)
* {{flagicon image|Karenni National People's Liberation Front flag.png}} [Karenni National People's Liberation Front](/source/Karenni_National_People's_Liberation_Front)
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force.svg}} [Karenni Nationalities Defence Force](/source/Karenni_Nationalities_Defence_Force)
* {{flagicon image|KNLPflag.jpg}} [Kayan New Land Army](/source/Kayan_New_Land_Army)
* {{flagicon image|Flag of PDF Myanmar.svg}} Local PDFs
* {{flagicon image|Flag of PDF Myanmar.svg}} [People's Defence Force](/source/People's_Defense_Force_(Myanmar))
| opponents = {{flag|Myanmar}} ([SAC](/source/State_Administration_Council))
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Myanmar Armed Forces.svg}} [Tatmadaw](/source/Tatmadaw)
** {{army|MYA}}
*** {{flagicon image|Mm-eastern-rmc.svg}} [Eastern Command](/source/Myanmar_Army)
** {{flagicon image|Flag of the Myanmar Police Force.svg}} [Myanmar Police Force](/source/Myanmar_Police_Force)
** {{flagicon image|Flag of Myanmar.svg}} [Pyusawhti militias](/source/Pyusawhti_militias)
| battles = [Internal conflict in Myanmar](/source/Internal_conflict_in_Myanmar)
* [Myanmar civil war (2021–present)](/source/Myanmar_civil_war_(2021%E2%80%93present))
| website =
| founder =
}}
The '''Kayan National Army''' ({{langx|my|ကယန်းအမျိုးသားတပ်မတော် }}; [abbr.](/source/Abbreviation) '''KNA''') is an armed ethnic [Kayan](/source/Kayan_people_(Myanmar)) paramilitary group formed from a merger of once-independent smaller guerrilla groups,
==Origins and objectives==
The KNA was established to unify smaller Karenni anti-junta forces established after the [2021 Myanmar coup d'etat](/source/2021_Myanmar_coup_d'etat). After overthrowing the [State Administration Council](/source/State_Administration_Council) junta, the KNA plans to serve as a transitional armed force for a future Karenni state that will encompass areas such as [Mobye](/source/Mobye), [Loikaw](/source/Loikaw), [Demoso](/source/Demoso), [Pekon](/source/Pekon), and [Pyinmana](/source/Pyinmana).[ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGR51KrLU0Y Myanmar: Kayan National Army forms to fight military junta] November 4, 2024. [Radio Free Asia](/source/Radio_Free_Asia) {{Webarchive|url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/LGR51KrLU0Y|date=November 9, 2024}} ]
The KNA is reportedly backed by the [Kayan New Land Party](/source/Kayan_New_Land_Party), which helped establish the KNA as a specifically [Kayan](/source/Kayan_people_(Myanmar)) ethnic army, in conflict with the inclusive [KNDF](/source/Karenni_Nationalities_Defense_Force).[{{cite news |title=Revolution on the Fence |url=https://ispmyanmar.com/revolution-on-the-fence/ |work=ISP Myanmar |date=28 February 2025}}]
==Relationships with other armed groups==
Some Karenni people criticized the formation of the KNA as multiple other Karenni anti-junta militias are still active. KNA leadership responded that they will cooperate with groups fighting against the military regime. [ [https://www.rfa.org/burmese/news/kayan-national-army-10292024140039.html ကယန်းအမျိုးသားတပ်မတော် ဖွဲ့စည်း]. [Radio Free Asia](/source/Radio_Free_Asia). October 29, 2024][ [https://moemaka.net/eng/2024/10/formation-of-the-kayan-national-army-kna/ Formation of the Kayan National Army (KNA)]. MoemaKa: Burmese Community News. October 31, 2024] U Aung San Myint (a party secretary of the [Karenni Army](/source/Karenni_Army)'s political wing, the [Karenni National Progressive Party](/source/Karenni_National_Progressive_Party)) also assured that the KNA's formation will not hamper anti-dictatorship efforts.[ [https://mpapress.com/news/55761/ KNPP Asserts Kayan National Army Formation Will Not Disrupt Unity or Anti-Dictatorship Movement] Shine Bu Chay. Myanmar Pressphoto Agency. November 8, 2024 {{Webarchive|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20241109224102/https://mpapress.com/news/55761/|date=November 9, 2024}}]
While the KNA recognizes the authority of the [National Unity Government of Myanmar](/source/National_Unity_Government_of_Myanmar), they are not part of the NUG MOD. Nonetheless, the KNA stated that they will not force Karenni [Local PDFs](/source/People's_Defense_Force_(Myanmar)) to join them.[
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Insurgent groups in Myanmar}}
Category:2024 establishments in Myanmar
Category:Military units and formations established in 2024
Category:Ethnic armed organisations in Myanmar
Category:Karen history
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kayan National Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayan_National_Army) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayan_National_Army?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
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