# Kuki National Army

The Kuki National Army (KNA) is a Kuki insurgent group active in Upper Myanmar and in pockets of Northeast India. It is the armed wing of the Kuki National Organisation.

## History

The Kuki National Army (KNA) was founded on 24 February 1988 with the goal of creating a separate state administered by the Kuki people in India and Myanmar (Burma). From its formation to 2013, the KNA was involved in 20 armed confrontations with the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces).
After the 2010 Burmese general election, pressure from other Kuki organisations forced the KNA to separate its Indian and Burmese wings, the latter of which was renamed and abbreviated KNA(B).
The group signed a Suspension of Operation with India in August 2005 and signed a truce with the central government and Manipur state on 20 May 2008, which lasted until 2023.

### Recent activities in Myanmar

After 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, KNA resumed fighting against the military of Myanmar. On 10 April 2021, it attacked the military, killing 18 soldiers. In October 2023, it joined Kachin Independence Army in an assault, in which they managed to captured a strategic Aungja base. In December of the same year, Kuki insurgents and the local People's Defense Force seized a base in Tamu township, Sagaing Region.

### Recent activities in India

The Manipur government has officially terminated its ceasefire agreement with the Kuki National Army (KNA) and Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA), citing concerns over the origin of their leadership and their involvement in illegal activities.
The decision came after reports emerged that the leadership of both groups was from Myanmar, not Manipur, and that they were allegedly instigating poppy cultivators against the state’s crackdown on illegal opium cultivation in protected forests along the Myanmar border.
Protests erupted in three districts on Friday, reportedly backed by KNA and ZRA, opposing the government's anti-poppy policies. The rallies, organized by Kuki Inpi Manipur, a union of Kuki civil and student bodies, were declared unconstitutional by the state government.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who chaired the cabinet meeting, reaffirmed the government's commitment to protecting forest resources and eradicating illegal poppy cultivation, leading to the withdrawal from the ceasefire pact originally signed in 2008. On 2nd January 2024, around 8 am, a team of security personnel conducting routine operations in the border town of Moreh in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district was attacked with bombs and automatic weapons, injuring at least seven security personnel—five from the Manipur Police and two from the BSF. Subsequently, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh condemned the attack, stating that militants from Myanmar—since Moreh borders the neighbouring country—were likely involved. “We have... established from various sources the involvement of foreign mercenaries from Myanmar, such as the KNA-B and KNA-R,” Singh said. However a body called the ‘Village Volunteers, Tengnoupal District (Eastern Zone)’ later issued its own “clarification” on such reports on Tuesday (January 2) denying that the aforementioned groups were involved in the gunfight.

## Leadership

Below is the individuals in leadership positions in KNA(B). PS Haokip, founder of KNO/KNA, is the president and the supreme commander of the Kuki National Organisation.
* President: Pu Letlam
* Vice President: Pu Chuchung
* General Secretary: Pi Ngangai
* Joint Secretary: Pu Khupmang
* Defence Secretary: Pu Paulneo
* Information and Publicity Secretary: Pu Seigin
* Home Secretary: Pu Michael Sasat
* Head of Intelligence: Pu Letkholun
* Secretary of External Affairs and Liaison: Pu Boipu
* Secretary of Human Rights Law and Analysis Wing: Pi Lalam

## Areas of operation

The KNA operates two armed wings, one in India and one in Myanmar (known as KNA(B).Total cadre strength in Burma is estimated to be 200+ soldiers.
India
* Northeast India
** Manipur
Myanmar (Burma)
* Chin State
** Ton Zang Township
* Sagaing Region
** Hkamti Township
** Homalin Township
** Leshi Township
** Tamu Township
*** Myothit