National Liberation Army

The National Liberation Army (NLA) is an armed force based in the Tamu–Kabaw region of northwestern Sagaing Region. It stood as Battalion (3) of the Tamu District People's Defence Force, but was re-formed as the National Liberation Army (NLA) on March 5, 2023. The NLA is based on seven objectives and five policies. Its seven objectives are:

(1) The fall of dictatorship and the liberation of the whole Bamar people from oppressed slavery under dictatorship;

(2) Ending chauvinism and achieving equal rights for all ethnic peoples of the union;

(3) Securely preserving, defending and protecting the lives, homes and property of the whole people in a future new federal democratic union;

(4) The emergence of a new federal democratic state in the future union, achieving national equality, with all ethnic peoples of the union taking part and a Bamar State designated, represented by the ethnic peoples;

(5) In the new federal democratic state, all ethnic peoples of the union being able to draw up basic policies providing self-administration, self-legislation and adjudication in their regions, along with freedom of worship;

(6) In line with the law of the new federal democratic state, every person fully enjoying human rights without discrimination based on skin colour or sexual orientation; and

(7) The emergence of a federal army made up of all ethnic peoples that can fully defend the union's sovereignty in the future new federal democratic union. Its five policies are: (1) it will protect the lives, homes and property of the whole people; (2) it will protect friendship and peace among fellow ethnic brothers and sisters; (3) it must be loyal to and abide by the federal democratic union; (4) members must not belong to any political party, nor be under the influence of a political party, individual or country; and (5) there must be (absolutely) no discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, skin colour, sex or sexual orientation.

Its activities are:

(1) It will uproot, as the common enemy, the individuals and organizations upholding the evil dictatorship that is violently killing people and destroying their homes and property by force of arms.

(2) It will protect the lives, homes and property of the people and the permanence of people's power.

(3) To establish a federal democratic union army, it will join hands and work as allies with the National Unity Government's Ministry of Defence, local revolutionary forces and ethnic revolutionary organizations (EROs) that share common goals.

(4) To establish a new federal democratic state, it will work together with any organization striving for a new constitution with firm political and military guarantees acceptable to the ethnic peoples of the union.

(5) In building a federal democratic union, it will take part together in the interim government's defence and security processes.

(6) In the new union under a federal democratic civilian government elected by the people, it will continue to take part in building the new state in line with the federal democratic system — as set out in its constitution and regulations.

The NLA is a strong force in the Tamu region. As an allied ethnic revolutionary force, it has close relations with the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and fought in the second wave of Operation 1027. It also took part in the battles to capture Khampat and Myothit in Tamu District, led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). It has also built relations with the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and signed a region-based alliance letter called the Upper Chindwin Region (UCR). In addition, the NLA takes part as a political grouping in the Sagaing Forum.