The Brotherhood Alliance, a tripartite military coalition consisting of the Arakan Army, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), has pledged support for the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force amid the KNDF’s frequent clashes with Myanmar’s military regime in the country’s east.

Founded on May 31 of last year, the KNDF is a network of anti-junta resistance groups fighting the military regime in Kayah (Karenni) State.

The Brotherhood Alliance on Tuesday sent a laudatory message to mark the anniversary of the KNDF’s founding, and pledged its support for the Karenni resistance group.

In its message, the Brotherhood Alliance said the KNDF had won the complete support of the Karenni people as well as the trust and support of armed groups including the Brotherhood Alliance itself. The alliance added that over the past year, the KNDF had built up its strength and proven its military capability in clashes with regime troops.

The KNDF and junta troops have been engaged in active fighting for much of the past year in Kayah State, Myanmar’s least populous state. Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced by fighting in Kayah State since the military coup on February 1, 2021.

The Brotherhood Alliance also pledged support for the Bamar People’s Liberation Army (BLPA) on its first anniversary, on April 17 of this year.

The three ethnic armed groups that make up the Brotherhood Alliance have so far rejected peace talks offered by junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in April, and military tensions are running high in their respective regions of operation.