People / group

Karen National Union

1947– · 20th century · Also known as KNU

The Karen National Union is a political organisation of the Karen people of Myanmar, founded in 1947. In January 1949 it began an armed rebellion for an independent Karen state, one of the world's longest-running insurgencies, fought by its Karen National Liberation Army. It signed a nationwide ceasefire in 2015 but resumed fighting the military after the coup of 2021.

Karen National Union
Image: Albert Poliakoff · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

MyanmarMilitary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Karen National Union. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/karen-national-union
MLA
“Karen National Union.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/karen-national-union. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Karen National Union.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/karen-national-union.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Karen National Union’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/karen-national-union (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻