Leaders SandarShwe War | Headquarters Mobile headquarters Strength 4,000 | |
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Active 1978 (1978)–2009 (2009) Ideology Karenni nationalismCommunism | ||
The Karenni National People's Liberation Front (Burmese: ကရင်နီလူမျိုးပေါင်းစုံ ပြည်သူ့လွတ်မြောက်ရေးတပ်ဦး; abbreviated KNPLF) was an insurgent group that was active in Kayah State, Myanmar (Burma). It became a border guard force on 8 November 2009.
History
In 1978, a group of communist fighters split from the Karenni Army due to ideological differences, and founded the Karenni National People's Liberation Front (KNPLF). The KNPLF maintained close ties with the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), receiving training, supplies, and armed support from the group until their armed wing's dissolution in 1989.
In 1989, a ceasefire deal was negotiated between the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and the KNPLF, which was finalised in 1994. The group had since helped government soldiers combat other armed insurgent groups, most notably the Karenni Army, and on 8 November 2009, the group agreed to transform into a "border guard force".
The KNPLF has been accused of using child soldiers and landmines in the past, with one child soldier named Koo Reh at age 13 saying: