The Karen National Union (KNU) and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) have officially informed the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) that they will temporarily withdraw from the council.
KNU spokesperson Padoh Saw Taw Nee told the Independent Mon News Agency that the decision was made because the NUCC’s activities do not reflect the realities on the ground.
“We have sent a letter to the NUCC stating that we are suspending our participation. The main reason is that many of the NUCC’s ongoing activities do not match the current situation in the field,” he said.
Sources said the NUCC has not yet responded to the letters submitted by the KNU and KNPP.
Nai Mon Sai, Chair of the Mon State Federal Council (MSFC) and a member of the NUCC, said the withdrawal may be linked to the council’s inability to accommodate the requests of ethnic armed organizations and its failure to form a federal unit despite ongoing political discussions.
“The NUCC includes many different groups. Because of this diversity, it has struggled to meet the demands of EAOs. Political dynamics are also shifting. Groups like the KNU and Mon armed forces are now focusing more on governing their own territories. The NUCC has not been able to establish a federal unit, although it has expressed its intention to continue working with other revolutionary organizations,” he said.
The NUCC has previously faced similar withdrawals. In 2022, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Kachin Political Interim Coordination Team (KPICT) also pulled out of the council.
Formed on March 8th, 2021, the NUCC includes the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), political parties, federal units, ethnic councils, strike committees, members of the Civil Disobedience Movement, women’s groups, youth groups, and three ethnic armed revolutionary organizations.
With the temporary withdrawal of the KNU and KNPP, the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) is now the only remaining armed group within the NUCC.
