Karen National Army

The Karen National Army, (Burmese: ကရင်အမျိုးသားတပ်မတော်; abbreviatedKNA) formerly the Karen Border Guard Force (Karen BGF), is a primarily KarenBuddhist 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. In January 2024, after intensified rebel operations throughout Myanmar, the Karen BGF began distancing itself from the ruling military junta, eventually splitting off from the Army and rebranding themselves the "Karen National Army" by April. They completed this transition on 1 January, 2026.