The coup regime accused the Karen National Union (KNU) 17th Congress of issuing hostile statements and backing confrontation against the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
The Military Council's National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) issued this statement on May 9th.
After their 17th Congress the KNU affirmed, “ our commitment to combat bigotry and military dictatorship, while also pledging to work alongside democratic and ethnic revolutionary groups, as well as individuals from diverse backgrounds, in their pursuit of a federal democratic union based on the principles of democracy, equality, and self-determination.”
The results of KNU elections for leadership with some new faces has been a significant shift away from previous internal policy conflicts with the KNU fully unified in its call for all -out resistance to dictatorship and the irrelevance of the NCA.
It is no surprise that the Military Junta responded that these declarations are at odds with the NCA, and had the potential to trigger more confrontation.
KNU Central Committee spokesperson Padoh Saw Kler Say explained, “Our objective is to collaborate with like-minded organizations and oppressed classes, our fellow ethnic groups, and all revolutionary forces who refuse to accept military dictatorship. After the Congress we remain committed to opposing the military dictatorship in conjunction with these forces.”
He added “Our newly appointed leaders, together with our current and future plans, demonstrate a firm commitment to the establishment of the federal democratic system we aspire for. We will persistently work towards this goal, adhering unwaveringly to the procedures and guidelines set by the KNU Congress”, he added.
NSPNC has stated that it remains committed to pursuing dialogue with ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in accordance with the NCA provisions.
Following the coup staged by the Military Council in February 2021, the implementation of the NCA that had been signed with EAOs during the previous U Thein Sein government came to a complete halt, and armed conflict began to resurface across the country. All the EAOs that are fighting the dictatorship turned their backs on the regime- controlled NCA, or other EAOs had never joined the NCA in the first place.
Resistance forces and activists have claimed that the Military Council is making desperate attempts to revive the NCA, not with a genuine aim for peace, but to cause divisions and splits among ethnic communities, and garner recognition and support from the international community.
