New Democratic Army – Kachin
ကချင်ဒီမိုကရေစီသစ် တပ်မတော်
Flag of the NDA-K
Leaders	Zahkung Ting Ying (a.k.a. S'Khon Tein Yein) Layawk Zelum Ying Zelum
Dates of operation	1989–2009 (As NDA-K) 2009 – 2024 (As BGF)
Headquarters	Pangwa, Kachin State
Active regions	Kachin State, Myanmar Myanmar-China border
Ideology	Kachin nationalism Communism[1]
Size	200–300; 700 (peak)[1]
Allies	Myanmar Tatmadaw
Opponents	State opponents Union of Burma (until 1989) Non-state opponents Kachin Independence Army[2]
Battles and wars	Internal conflict in Myanmar Kachin conflict Myanmar Civil War (2021-present) Operation 0307
Preceded by Kachin Independence Army

The New Democratic Army – Kachin (Burmese: ကချင်ဒီမိုကရေစီသစ် တပ်မတော်; abbreviated NDA-K), officially known as the Kachin Border Guard Force, is an armed insurgent group that operated in Kachin State, Myanmar. After signing a ceasefire agreement with the military of Myanmar in 1989, it was subsequently converted into a pro-Tatmadaw militia, eventually officially being converted into a Border Guard Force in November 2009.^[1][3][4]

The NDA-K was founded in 1989 by former Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) officers Zahkung Ting Ying (a.k.a. S'Khon Tein Yein), Layawk Zelum, and Ying Zelum, when they led a communist faction of 700 soldiers that split from the KIO due to its political differences.^[1][2] In the same year, the group agreed to a ceasefire with the government, and it de facto operated under the Tatmadaw's command as a "special regional task force".^[1]

The group received a budget, rations, and supplies from the government. Additionally, 600 soldiers were paid by the government as part of the Myanmar Police Force.^[1] In November 2009, the group became one of the first insurgent groups under a ceasefire agreement to convert into a "border guard force". Some members have since joined the Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) to contest in the 2010 general election.^[3]

On 15 October 2024, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) captured BGF Battalion 1002 from the NDA-K following a week of fighting. It was one of three BGF Battalions held by the NDA-K.^[5]

On 21 October, the KIA captured the town of Pang War from the NDA-K.^[6]

On 22 October, the KIA captured another BGF Battalion, Battalion 1003, near Kanpaikti, leaving only one Battalion left, Battalion 1001.^[7][8] On 23 October, the KIA sealed off the home of NDA-K leader Zahkung Ting Ying in Pang War. Attempts to locate him in Pang War were unsuccessful.^[9]

On 31 October, KIA and PDF forces capture the last BGF Battalion 1001 HQ near Phimaw, Myitkyina District. NDA-K and allied Junta troops then fled to the Chinese border town of Ganfai.^[10]

On 20 November, the KIA captured Kanpaikti, the final stronghold of the BGF.^[11] The town's capture leaves only the city of Muse as the last border crossing along the China/Myanmar border under Junta control.^[11]

The KIA's victory at Kanpaikti has rendered the NDA-K virtually completely defeated.^[12]

A Rawang leader Lauban Tanggu Dang (Ah Dang; Burmese: တန်ဂူးတန်) established the Rebellion Resistance Force from the NDA-K group.^[13]

Zahkung Ting Ying is a Ngochang from the Yunnan Frontier.^{[citation needed]} In 1968, he split from Kachin Independence Army and joined the Communist Party of Burma and established the CPB's 101 War Zone with Zaluman, another KIA defector.^[14][15] In 2016, he was expelled from the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw for violating election laws while campaigning.^[16]

Illegal rare earth mining has surged in NDA-K held areas bordering China following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.^[17][18] In April 2021, 100 rare earth mines were found in the area controlled by the militia.^[19] As the Chinese government cracked down on domestic rare earth mining, it has outsourced the destructive mining to Kachin State.^[20] As of March 2022, 2,700 mining collection pools scattered across 300 separate locations were found in Kachin State, encompassing the area of Singapore, and an exponential increase from 2016.^[20] Zakhung Ting Ying and other militia leaders have profited from this extractive industry.^[20] In December 2021, US$200 million in rare earths were exported to China.^[20]

• Kachin Independence Organisation