| New Democratic Army – Kachin | |
|---|---|
| ကချင်ဒီမိုကရေစီသစ် တပ်မတော် | |
 Flag of the NDA-K | |
| Leaders | Zahkung Ting Ying (a.k.a. S'Khon Tein Yein) Layawk Zelum Ying Zelum |
| Dates of operation | 1989–2009 (As NDA-K) 2009 – 2024 (As BGF) |
| Headquarters | Pangwa,Kachin State |
| Active regions | Kachin State,Myanmar Myanmar-China border |
| Ideology | Kachin nationalism Communism[1] |
| Size | 200–300; 700 (peak)[1] |
| Allies |  Myanmar |
| Opponents | State opponents
 Kachin Independence Army[2] |
| Wars | theinternal conflict in Myanmar |
TheNew Democratic Army – Kachin (Burmese:ကချင်ဒီမိုကရေစီသစ် တပ်မတော်;abbreviatedNDA-K), officially known as theKachin Border Guard Force, is an armedinsurgent group that operated inKachin State,Myanmar. After signing a ceasefire agreement with themilitary of Myanmar in 1989, it was subsequently converted into a pro-Tatmadaw militia, eventually officially being converted into aBorder Guard Force in November 2009.[1][3][4]
The NDA-K was founded in 1989 by formerKachin Independence Organization (KIO) officers Zahkung Ting Ying (a.k.a. S'Khon Tein Yein), Layawk Zelum, and Ying Zelum, when they led a communist faction of 700 soldiers that split from the KIO due to its political and ethnic differences.[1][2] The KIO was led by members of theJingpo subgroup, while the NDA-K is led by members of theLacid subgroup.[5] In the same year, the group agreed to a ceasefire with the government, and itde facto operated under theTatmadaw's command as a "special regional task force".[1]
The group received a budget, rations, and supplies from the government. Additionally, 600 soldiers were paid by the government as part of theMyanmar Police Force.[1] In November 2009, the group became one of the first insurgent groups under a ceasefire agreement to convert into a "border guard force". Some members have since joined the Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) to contest in the2010 general election.[3]
On 15 October 2024, as part of widerOperation 0307, theKachin Independence Army (KIA) captured BGF Battalion 1002 from the NDA-K following a week of fighting. It was one of three BGF Battalions held by the NDA-K.[6]
On 21 October, the KIA captured the town ofPang War from the NDA-K.[7]
On 22 October, theKIA captured another BGF Battalion, Battalion 1003, nearKanpaikti, leaving onlyone Battalion left, Battalion 1001.[8][9]On 23 October, the KIA sealed off the home of NDA-K leader Zahkung Ting Ying in Pang War. Attempts to locate him in Pang War were unsuccessful.[10]
On 31 October,KIA andPDF forces capture the last BGF Battalion 1001 HQ near Phimaw, Myitkyina District. NDA-K and allied Junta troops then fled to the Chinese border town ofGanfai.[11]
On 20 November, the KIA capturedKanpaikti, the final stronghold of the BGF.[12] The town's capture leaves only the city of Muse as the last border crossing along the China/Myanmar border under Junta control.[12]
TheKIA's victory atKanpaikti has rendered the NDA-K virtually completely defeated.[13]
A Rawang leaderLauban Tanggu Dang (Ah Dang; Burmese: တန်ဂူးတန်) established theRebellion Resistance Force from the NDA-K group.[14]
Zahkung Ting Ying is aNgochang from the Yunnan Frontier.[citation needed] In 1968, he split fromKachin Independence Army and joined the Communist Party of Burma and established the CPB's 101 War Zone with Zaluman, another KIA defector.[15][16] In 2016, he was expelled from thePyidaungsu Hluttaw for violating election laws while campaigning.[17]
Illegalrare earth mining has surged in NDA-K held areas bordering China following the2021 Myanmar coup d'état.[18][19] In April 2021, 100 rare earth mines were found in the area controlled by the militia.[20] As the Chinese government cracked down on domestic rare earth mining, it has outsourced the destructive mining to Kachin State.[21] As of March 2022[update], 2,700 mining collection pools scattered across 300 separate locations were found in Kachin State, encompassing the area ofSingapore, and an exponential increase from 2016.[21] Zahkung Ting Ying and other militia leaders have profited from this extractive industry.[21] In December 2021,US$200 million in rare earths were exported to China.[21]
