The Karen are an ethnic minority group in Myanmar, primarily residing in the eastern region of Kayin State along the Thai border. Representing roughly 7% of the Burmese population, the Karen have faced a prolonged struggle for autonomy and recognition of their rights. Since 1949, the Karen National Union (KNU) and its armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), have waged one of the world’s longest-running insurgencies against the central government of Myanmar. Initially seeking independence, the movement shifted in the 1970s to advocate for a federal system that guarantees the rights and autonomy of ethnic minorities.
Over decades of conflict, the Karen people have endured significant hardships. Many have sought refuge in Thailand, leading to the establishment of large refugee camps along the border. Today, over 100,000 Karen refugees live in camps or urban areas in Thailand, unable to return due to ongoing violence. Within Karen-controlled territories in Kayin State, the KNU has worked to provide essential services such as healthcare and education while maintaining a military presence to protect their land and people.
The situation worsened following the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021. The KNLA has been engaged in intense fighting with the military regime, which has escalated violence across the country. Since May 2021, many young people from lower Myanmar and Yangon have fled to Karen territories, seeking refuge from persecution for opposing the regime. These individuals have received military training and formed People’s Defense Force (PDF) units, which now fight alongside the KNLA and other ethnic armies against the central military junta.
This increased resistance has made Karen areas a focal point of the broader struggle against the Myanmar military regime. However, the conflict has brought severe repercussions for civilians. Airstrikes have targeted populated areas and fleeing convoys, forcing thousands of people into makeshift camps in the jungle along the Thai border. Thai authorities have resisted expanding refugee camps, leaving many displaced individuals in precarious conditions without adequate support or safety.
Despite these challenges, the Karen remain steadfast in their resistance, balancing governance, social services, and armed defense in their territories. Their long-standing struggle for autonomy and equality highlights the broader plight of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities under a central government that has historically marginalized and suppressed them. In the aftermath of the coup, Karen-controlled areas have become critical sanctuaries for those resisting the regime, symbolizing the interconnected nature of Myanmar’s internal conflicts and the resilience of its diverse communities in the face of oppression.
Soldier of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) at a check-point near Kanele village in Karen State, Myanmar, January 2024
Karen children having breakfast before school. Htee Baw Kaw, Karen State, Myanmar, January 2024
Mother and her child from the Karen ethnicity in territories under control of the ethnic armed groups resisting against the persecution of the military junta. Kaw Tho Lei, Karen State, Myanmar, May 2024
Members of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). The KNLA is a Karen ethnic army that has struggled against the military regime for the past 70 years in order to safeguard the freedom and dignity of the Karen minority living in Burma. Htaw IDP camp, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Lae Gho IDP camp in Kayin State. More than 3 million people have been displaced by the war in Myanmar, January 2024
Members of the People Defense Forces, the armed resistance to the military dictatorship in an outpost in the forest near Kanele in Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
Temporary school in an IDP camp. Kanele Htaw Camp, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Parents cooling their child in the river to bring down a high fever. Kanele Htaw IDP camp, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Member of a sniper unit of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) operating in the Wale and Kanele area in Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Karen children going to improvised schools along the Thai border. The schools operate in houses or in the open under trees and not in school buildings who are frequently targetted by airstrikes by the military regime. Htee Baw Kaw IDP camp, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Soldiers of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) at an outpost near the Kanele frontline in Karen State, Myanmar, January 2024
Lae Gho village in Kayin State,Myanmar, January 2024
Returning with water to the Htaw Internal Displaced Camp. Kanele, Kayin State in Myanmar, May 2024
A Karen woman and her child in a camp for internal displaced persons. More than 3 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Myanmar. Htaw IDP camp in Kanele in Karen State, Burma, January 2024
Soldiers of People Defense Forces (PDF) operating in Kayin State along the Karen National Union (KNU)/Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Myanmar, January 2024
Mother and child at the clinic of an IDP camp located in the jungle. Kanele area in Karen State, Myanmar, January 2024
KNLA outpost in Kanele, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Karen children studying in improvised schools along the Thai border. The schools operate in houses or in the open under trees and not in school buildings who are frequently targetted by airstrikes by the military regime. Htee Baw Kaw IDP camp, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Class room temporarly not used for fear of airstrikes. Instead children are divided in small groups and study under trees or houses to be better protected in case of shelling. Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Internal displaced person (IDP) and victim of a landmine accident. Htaw IDP camp for Karen displaced people in Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
Karen woman and her child. Lae Gho village in Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Soldiers of the KNLA patrolling near a camp for internal displaced persons. Since the military coup thousands of people have been uprooted due to the ongoing fighting and the repetitive airstrikes. Karen State, Myanmar, January 2024
School in Lae Gho, Karen State, Myanmar, January 2024
Karen children studying in improvised schools along the Thai border. The schools operate in houses or in the open under trees and not in school buildings who are frequently targetted by airstrikes by the military regime. Htee Baw Kaw IDP camp, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
A small field clinic being built in territory conrolled by the resistance forces in Kayin State. Kaw Tho Lei, Karen State, Myanmar, May 2024
Karen boy carrying water, Lae Gho village in Karen State, Myanmar, May 2024
A soldier of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) at an outpost near the Kanele frontline in Karen State, Myanmar, January 2024
Temporary school in an IDP camp. Kanele Htaw Camp, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Unit commander of the KNLA at an IDP camp in Kanele, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Karen children going to improvised schools along the Thai border. The schools operate in houses or in the open under trees and not in school buildings who are frequently targetted by airstrikes by the military regime. Htee Baw Kaw IDP camp, Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Karen woman and her child. Lae Gho village in Kayin State, Myanmar, January 2024
Karen children attending music and singing class. Lae Gho, Kayin, Myanmar, January 2024
Karen National Liberation Army position in the surroundings of Kanele in Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
Member of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed resistance to the military dictatorship in an outpost in the forest near Kanele in Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
Karen children during school activities in Lae Gho village in Karen State, Myanmar, January 2024
Father and his son from the Karen ethnic minority coming to the community center of a IDP camp in Karen State. Htaw IDP camp, Kanele, Myanmar, May 2024
Karen woman shaving her son's head as a prevention against lices. They are uprooted due to the conflict and risk of villages being hit by air strikes. Htaw IDP camp near Kanele in KNLA controlled territory. Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
Informal border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar along the Moei river. Oo Poe Hta village in Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
Members of the People Defense Forces, the armed resistance to the military dictatorship in an outpost in the forest near Kanele in Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
A joined resistance outpost of the Karen National Liberation Army and People Defence Forces in Karen State. Kaw Tho Lei, Kayin, Myanmar, May 2024
Karen villagers coming to a clinic in Htaw IDP camp in Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
Karen children and parents attending church in the local clinic building. An important part of the Karen ethnic minority is Christian. Lae Gho clinic, Kayin, Myanmar, January 2024
Member of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed resistance to the military dictatorship in an outpost in the forest near Kanele in Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
Karen woman internally displaced due to the conflict and risk of villages being hit by air strikes. Htaw IDP camp near Kanele in KNLA controlled territory. Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
A joined resistance outpost of the Karen National Liberation Army and People Defence Forces in Karen State. Kaw Tho Lei, Kayin, Myanmar, May 2024
Karen children in a temporary shelter made of leaves.Lae Gho IDP camp, Kayin State, Myanmar, May 2024
Zaw Aung, 29 years and from Mawlamyine is part of a unit fighting against the military dictatorship in Karen State in the region of Myawaddy. Kayin, Myanmar, May 2024
Villagers from the Karen ethnicity in territories under control of the ethnic armed groups resisting against the persecution of the military junta. Kaw Tho Lei, Karen State, Myanmar, May 2024
