New Democratic Army – Kachin

The NDA-K was founded in 1989 by former Kachin 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 differences.[1][2] In the same year, the group agreed to a ceasefire with the government, and it de facto operated under the Tatmadaw'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 the Myanmar 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 the 2010 general election.[3]

Zahkung Ting Ying is a Ngochang from the Yunnan Frontier. In 1968, he split from Kachin Independence Army and joined the Communist Party if Burma and established the CPB's 101 War Zone with Zaluman, another KIA defector.[5][6] In 2016, he was expelled from the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw for violating election laws while campaigning.[7]

Illegal rare earth mining has surged in NDA-K held areas bordering China following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.[8][9] In April 2021, 100 rare earth mines were found in the area controlled by the militia.[10] As the Chinese government cracked down on domestic rare earth mining, it has outsourced the destructive mining to Kachin State.[11] As of March 2022, 2,700 mining collection pools scattered across 300 separate locations were found in Kachin State, encompassing the area of Singapore, and an exponential increase from 2016.[11] Zakhung Ting Ying and other militia leaders have profited from this extractive industry.[11] In December 2021, US$200 million in rare earths were exported to China.[11]

• Kachin Independence Organisation