The Karen National Union (KNU) Congress, which had been postponed due to the COVID-19 and military conflict, will be held before the end of the year, according to KNU spokesperson Padoh Saw Taw Nee.

According to the KNU constitution, the congress is held every four years, but in recent years it has been postponed due to the worsening situation following the military coup and the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the 17th KNU Congress is scheduled to be held before the end of this year.

Regarding the KNU Congress, Padoh Saw Taw Nee said, ""After the military coup, there were more than 6,000 battles in our area. This is one of the reasons why the congress had to be postponed. Another reason is COVID-19 pandemic. We don't want to postpone the Congress at all, but it can't be more than two years. According to the decision of the Central Committee, the congress must be held before the end of 2022. We cannot say the exact date,"

At the 17th KNU Congress, the new Central Standing Committee members will be re-elected, as well as the new KNU President and the new Central Executive Committee.

In addition, at this Congress, the situation of the past four years and future processes will be reviewed and discussed.

There is speculation that there may be a leadership reshuffle in the KNU Congress.

Fighting between the regime forces and the KNU-affiliated forces is still going on in the KNU-controlled areas, and there are nearly 400,000 IDPs.