Karenni Nationalities Defence Force

Karenni Nationalities Defence Force
Karenni Nationalities Defence Force
ကရင်နီအမျိုးသားများကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့
	Flag of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force
Founding leader	Khun Bedu
Foundation	31 May 2021
Dates of operation	31 May 2021 – present
Country	Myanmar
Active regions	Kayah State; Shan State; Kayin State; Myanmar-Thailand border
Ideology	Secularism; Federalism; Democracy; Minority rights;
Size	7000+
Allies	4K Coalition Karen National Liberation Army; Karenni Army; Karenni National People's Liberation Front; ; Other allies Arakan Army; Bamar People's Liberation Army; Chin National Army; Karen National Defence Organisation; Karenni People's Defence Force; Kayan New Land Army; Local PDFs; Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army; Pa-O National Liberation Army (2024-present); People's Defence Force; People's Liberation Army; Shan State Army - North (2024-present); Ta'ang National Liberation Army; ;
Opponents	State opponents: Myanmar (SAC) Tatmadaw Myanmar Army Eastern Command; 66th Light Infantry Division; ; Myanmar Police Force; Pyusawhti militias; ; ; ; Non-state opponents: Pa-O National Army; ;
Battles and wars	Internal conflict in Myanmar Myanmar civil war (2021–present) Battle of Loikaw (2021); Pekon clashes; Battle of Loikaw (2022); Battle of Mese; Operation 1027; Operation 1107; Operation 1111; ; ;

The Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF; Burmese: ကရင်နီအမျိုးသားများကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့,) is a pro-democracy armed organization currently fighting in the Myanmar civil war. It is a defence force for the local Karenni federal state formed in response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. The KNDF also includes other organizations and Operate under the commander-in-chief of Karenni Army (KA) armed wing of KNPP, which an official regard as "good relations between the EAOs and the public" The KNDF has engaged in fighting with the junta, mainly with the 66th Light Infantry Division.

On 6 June 2023, the KNDF issued a report on the second anniversary of their founding. They stated that they have established 22 battalions and six brigades. They also claimed that the junta now has control over Loikaw and other urban wards only, and most areas in the state are under the control of the resistance groups. As of Jan 2025 the KNDF sees itself as a defence force aiding the Pro Democracy movement and not a traditional Ethnic Armed Organization. The KNDF as of 2025 includes many ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.