31. The United Wa State Army and Burma’s Peace Process
- Author:
- Bertil Lintner
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- The United Wa State Army, a force of some twenty-thousand fighters, is the largest of Burma’s ethnic armed organizations. It is also the best equipped, boasting modern and sophisticated Chinese weaponry, and operates a formidable drug empire in the Golden Triangle region. This report examines the history of the Wa people, the United Wa State Army’s long-standing political and military ties to China, and the Wa’s role in Burma’s fragile peace process.
- Topic:
- Armed Forces, Ethnicity, Conflict, and Peace
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, Burma, and Southeast Asia