People's Defence Force (Myanmar)
Armed wing of the National Unity Government of Myanmar / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The People's Defence Force[lower-alpha 1] is the armed wing of the National Unity Government in Myanmar. The armed wing was formed by the NUG from youths and pro-democracy activists on 5 May 2021 in response to the coup d'état that occurred on 1 February 2021 that put the military junta and their armed wing the Tatmadaw in power.[23] The military junta designated it as a terrorist organisation on 8 May 2021.[24] In October 2021, NUG's Ministry of Defence announced that it had formed a central committee to coordinate military operations across the country.[25]
People's Defence Force | |
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ပြည်သူ့ကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်မတော် | |
Also known as | |
Founding leader | Yee Mon |
Foundation | 5 May 2021 (2021-05-05) |
Dates of operation | 5 May 2021 (2021-05-05) – present |
Country | Myanmar |
Allegiance | National Unity Government of Myanmar |
Group(s) |
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Active regions | Myanmar |
Ideology | Federal democracy |
Size | 100,000 (February 2024 estimate)[10] |
Part of | Ministry of Defence, National Unity Government |
Allies |
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Opponents | Myanmar (SAC) |
Battles and wars | Internal conflict in Myanmar |
Website | mod |
According to the NUG statement, the PDF is divided into five regional commands (Northern, Southern, Central, Eastern and Western commands[26]), each mounting at least three brigades. Each brigade consists of five battalions, which divide into four companies.[27] On 13 July 2021, NUG's minister of defence Yee Mon stated that the strength of the newly-formed militia was expected to reach 8,000 by the end of the month.[28] Estimates by The Irrawaddy put the PDF's numbers at 65,000 in November 2022.[29] More recent estimates put the PDF's strength at 100,000, even though not all are believed to be fully armed and trained.[10] The PDF's leadership endorse guerrilla warfare tactics in pursuit of their aims.[30]