Five armed resistance groups formed under the command of the National Unity Government (NUG) to fight against the regime after it seized power during the 2021 military coup, have withdrawn their forces from the NUG Ministry of Defence so far this year.
“We allowed them [to withdraw] voluntarily. And we still encourage them [to fight alongside the People’s Defense Forces] in the Spring Revolution,” Kyaw Zaw, the NUG President Office spokesperson, told DVB. The NUG established the PDF in May 2021.
“It is sometimes necessary to reassign and redeploy troops based on the requirements for national liberation,” said Nay Phone Latt, the NUG Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson, during a speech on Tuesday.
The five armed resistance groups withdrew from the NUG Ministry of Defence – due to disagreements over relocations and allegations of insufficient administrative support – were the Gangaw Battalion, White Tiger Column, Galon Column, the Southern Shan People Defence Force, the Southern Shan Revolution Youth.
Gangaw Battalion, based in Yaw Township, announced the withdrawal of its forces from under NUG command on Feb. 19.
“We are continuing to fight for federal democracy,” announced the Gangaw Battalion, adding that it has joined the Yaw Army, which operates alongside the Arakan Army (AA) in Magway Region.
The AA has expanded its offensive into Magway from Arakan, where 14 of 17 townships are under its control, as well as Paletwa Township in southern Chinland.
Another four other armed groups in Karen, Mon and Shan states announced their split from NUG command in January. The Galon Column announced it withdrew from the NUG on Feb. 10.
The White Tiger Column claims that it is the largest force to withdraw from the NUG with approximately 800 personnel. It, along with the Galon Column, served under what the NUG Ministry of Defence calls its Southern Military Region. This includes Karen and Mon states.
The White Tiger Column is allied to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). The Galon Column is allied to the Mon Liberation Army (MLA), which was formed in 2022 following the coup.
The MLA operates in Karen and Mon states. Last month, it announced that it had joined forces with other Mon resistance groups to form the Ramanya Joint Task Force.
The Southern Shan People Defence Force and the Southern Shan Revolution Youth withdrew from what the NUG calls its Central Military Region on Feb. 1 over disagreements about troop relocation orders and issues with weapons supply.
Both have since merged, citing “geographical necessity,” with their allied southern Shan State-based resistance groups and now call themselves the Southern Shan Local Revolutionary Unity.
It fights alongside the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), which is an armed group formed in Karenni State during the uprising to the 2021 coup.
“Under current circumstances, we will continue fighting alongside revolutionary forces in Southern Shan and Karenni. Our withdrawal from [the NUG] doesn’t mean we’re stopping the revolution,” a former member from the Southern Shan Revolution Youth told DVB.
The NUG states that around 300 PDF units have been established nationwide since 2021 and are operating under the NUG Central Command and Coordination Committee (C3C) and Joint Command and Coordination (J2C).
Besides the PDF, the NUG also administers the Local Defense Forces (LDF) and the People’s Defense Teams (PDT), known in Burmese as PaKaPa, or the “three pa’s.” These are localized units formed for defense and security in resistance-controlled areas of the country.
A BBC investigation reported that the regime controls less than 25 percent of Myanmar’s total territory, which includes 330 townships. Despite the lack of authority nationwide, the regime in Naypyidaw wants to hold general elections, tentatively scheduled for November.
In his New Year’s Address, the NUG Acting President Duwa Lashi La claimed that the PDF and ethnic resistance organizations have seized control of 144 out of 330 townships with 48 of them under full resistance control.
Seventy-nine townships remain contested between the regime and resistance forces.
