The 17th Congress of the Karen National Union (KNU) that was planned to be held on Oct. 24 has been postponed indefinitely due escalating clashes and airstrikes. The congress is typically held every four years and was originally scheduled to be held at the end of 2020 but was repeatedly delayed due to the military coup and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We already made all the preparations to hold the congress, but we had to delay it again due to the airstrikes that are worsening day by day. They [Burma Army] are targeting civilians and not even avoiding monasteries, schools and have shot young children in other regions. If we host the congress, all top-level members of the KNU including district chairman and commander have to attend. Nearly 7,000 battles have occurred from the coup to October [2022]. Our leaders told us to postpone the congress especially as clashes are now happening everywhere,” KNU Spokesperson Padoh Saw Taw Nee told DVB.

Poor security and transportation difficulties were also cited as reasons for the postponement. The KNU’s administration comprises 14 departments including the Department of Defense and has a total of 55 permanent committee members. The KNU has joined forces with other pro-democracy groups against the junta and has rejected the regime’s “peace talks.”