The Kawthoolei Army (; abbr. KTLA) is a militant and separatist group in Myanmar, split from Karen National Union.
The formation of the new militia was announced on 19 July 2022. General Saw Nerdah Bomya, former head of the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), had been removed from his KNDO position after allegations that his KNDO troops killed 25 suspected Burmese military spies in southern Karen State.
In April 2023, the KTLA launched an offensive against the Kayin State BGF in Shwe Kokko, forcing over 10,000 people to flee into Thailand. On 21 May, the KTLA, alongside other anti-junta forces, launched offensives against the Tatmadaw's "Plato" and Maw Khee camps, south of Myawaddy.
The KTLA is reportedly associated with an Italian neo-fascist group CasaPound through the group "Popoli Onlus Solidarity Community".
According to the Bangkok Post, the KTLA claims to control a 40km-long pipeline owned by PTT Exploration and Production that transports gas from Myanmar into Thailand's Kanchanaburi Province. The KTLA is reportedly considering either shutting down or destroying the pipeline.
The Republic of Kawthoolei (; ) formely Kawthoolei Government is an unrecognized state and breakaway polity in Myanmar. It was established in November 2023 and renamed on the 5 January 2026 by the [ Kawthoolei Army (KTLA), a splinter armed group led by General Nerdah Mya.
The proclamation marks a divergence from the political stance of the Karen National Union (KNU), the primary political organization representing the Karen people, which advocates for a federal democratic union within Myanmar rather than complete secession. The KNU calls the "liberated" territory within Myanmar it administers as Kawthoolei. As of January 2026, the state remains unrecognized by the international community, and the Karen National Union has publicly rejected the KTLA's proclamation.
In November 2023 the Republic was established under another name, on 5 January 2026, a military parade and ceremony were held at the U Ge Kyi camp in Karen State. During the event, General Nerdah Mya, the son of the late General Bo Mya, proclaimed the Republic of Kawthoolei, which replaced the old name. The proclamation cited the failure of the Myanmar military junta to protect civilian rights as the primary justification for secession. Nerdah Mya was named President, and Poe Thulay was named Prime Minister of the provisional government. Nerdah Mya has announced plans to create a constitution and has already announced the creation of a provisional government, including prime minister Poe Thulay and other cabinet members.
General Nerdah Mya was formerly the head of the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), a wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), but was dismissed in 2022 after the KNU found him guilty of extrajudicial killings of construction workers alleged to be spies, three days after he formed the splinter group KTLA.
Following the January 2026 proclamation, the KNU, which advocates for a federal state, publicly dismissed the declaration. Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the KNU spokesperson, characterized the move as "nonsense", arguing that the KTLA lacks both significant territorial control and the civil administration infrastructure necessary to govern a state.