United Wa State Army

United Wa State Army
Kru' Naing' Rob Rom' Hak Tiex Praog
佤邦联合军
ဝပြည် သွေးစည်းညီညွတ်ရေး တပ်မတော်
LeadersBao Youxiang
Zhao Zhongdang
Bao Aichan
Dates of operation17 April 1989 (1989-04-17) – present
HeadquartersPangkham, Myanmar
Active regionsWa Self-Administered Division
(Wa State)
IdeologyWa nationalism[1]
Size30,000[2]
Part ofUnited Wa State Party
AlliesState allies

Non-state allies

OpponentsState opponents

Non-state opponents

Battles and warsInternal conflict in Myanmar

The United Wa State Army (Parauk: Kru' Naing' Rob Rom' Hak Tiex Praog, simplified Chinese: 佤邦联合军; traditional Chinese: 佤邦聯合軍; pinyin: Wǎbāng Liánhéjūn; Burmese: ဝပြည် သွေးစည်းညီညွတ်ရေး တပ်မတော်, IPA: [wa̰ pjì θwésí ɲìɲʊʔjé taʔmədɔ̀]), abbreviated as the UWSA or the UWS Army, is the military wing of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), the de facto ruling party of Wa State (officially known as the Wa Self-Administered Division) in Myanmar. It is a well-equipped ethnic minority army of an estimated 20,000[1]–30,000[2] Wa soldiers, led by Bao Youxiang. The UWSA was formed after the collapse of the armed wing of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1989.[5]

The UWSA announced its territory as the "Wa State Government Special Administrative Region" on 1 January 2009.[6] The de facto President is Bao Youxiang, and the Vice President is Xiao Minliang.[7][8] Although the Government of Myanmar does not officially recognise the sovereignty of Wa State, the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) has frequently allied with the UWSA to fight against Shan nationalist militia groups, such as the Shan State Army (RCSS).[9]

Despite being de facto independent from Myanmar, the Wa State officially recognizes Myanmar's sovereignty over all of its territory.[10] In 1989 the two parties signed a ceasefire agreement, and in 2013 signed a peace deal.[11] As the largest non-state armed group in Myanmar, it has effectively led the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) since 2017, representing nearly every pre-2021 non-ceasefire signatory armed groups.[12] In not seeking independence or secession, UWSA is unlike most of the ethnic armed organizations in Myanmar.[13]: 4 

  1. ^ a b Johnson, Tim (29 August 2009). "China Urges Burma to Bridle Ethnic Militia Uprising at Border". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 15 September 2010.
  2. ^ a b "UWSP/UWSA » Myanmar Peace Monitor". 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Myanmar's Wa Army Vows Neutrality in Fight Between Regime, Ethnic All…". Archived from the original on 1 November 2023.
  4. ^ Davis, Anthony (22 February 2022). "Wa an early winner of Myanmar's post-coup war". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  5. ^ Chouvy, Pierre-Arnaud (24 January 2004). "Myanmar's Wa: Likely Losers in the Opium War". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2006.
  6. ^ "UWSA declares autonomous region". Archived from the original on 2 March 2011.
  7. ^ "A United Wa State Army (UWSA) delegation led by Vice President Xiao Minliang, Bao Youliang and Zhao Guo-ang left Panghsang for Lashio today". democracy for burma. 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  8. ^ S.H.A.N. "Wa revamping road system". Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  9. ^ "The United Wa State Army's uncertain future". PROJECT AK-47. Strategic Forecasting Inc. 22 July 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  10. ^ 2011-10-13, 缅甸佤邦竟然是一个山寨版的中国 Archived 26 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 军情观察
  11. ^ "Burma signs treaty with Wa ethnic group". BBC. 13 July 2013. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022.
  12. ^ Lintner, Bertil (April 2019). The United Wa State Army and Burma's Peace Process (PDF) (Report). United States Institute of Peace. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  13. ^ Ong, Andrew (2023). Stalemate: Autonomy and Insurgency on the China-Myanmar Border. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-1-5017-7071-5. JSTOR 10.7591/j.ctv2t8b78b.