Myanmar ethnic armies

KACHIN STATE, MYANMAR - 2011/07/25: A soldier from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) watches down the valley from a hill position to detect the presence of Burmese soldiers. With 6,000 troops, the KIA is one of the best organized and equipped armed ethnic groups in Burma (Myanmar). In 1994, the KIA signed a cease-fire agreement with the Burmese junta. In April 2009, in the perspective of the November 7, 2010 general elections, the government ordered to the cease-fire ethnic groups to transform themselves into Border Guard Forces. Some groups have accepted but the most powerful such as the KIA, feeling threatened in their existence, have refused. In June 2011, following an incident between Burmese and Kachin soldiers, the cease-fire was actually broken, threatening to relaunch the war along the Chinese border.. (Photo by Thierry Falise/LightRocket via Getty Images)