A long-running armed conflict between Kachin insurgents and Myanmar's military, interrupted by a 17-year ceasefire but resuming in 2011 with mass civilian displacement.
Key Facts
- Conflict start date
- 1961-02-05
- Ceasefire period
- 1994 to 2011
- Ceasefire duration
- 17 years
- Displaced civilians (post-2011)
- Over 100,000
- Civilian deaths (post-2011)
- Thousands
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Deep ethnic and political tensions between the Kachin people and the central Burmese state gave rise to an armed insurgency in 1961. The Kachin Independence Organization and its military wing sought greater autonomy or independence from the Myanmar government, leading to sustained armed resistance against the Tatmadaw.
Kachin insurgents have fought the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) since February 1961 in a conflict that forms part of Myanmar's broader internal conflict. A major ceasefire was brokered in 1994 and held for 17 years, but hostilities resumed in 2011, reigniting open armed confrontation across Kachin State.
Since fighting resumed in 2011, thousands of civilians have been killed and over 100,000 displaced. Both sides have been accused of serious human rights abuses, including use of landmines, recruitment of child soldiers, and systematic rape and torture, drawing international condemnation.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent