Karen police deployed to protect Myanmar marchers

An armed force from one of Myanmar's ethnic groups deployed to protect anti-coup marchers, on Monday, in the wake of a brutal junta crackdown on demonstrations that has left more than 50 people dead. The unit from the Karen National Police Force arrived shortly after dawn to accompany about 2,000 protesters near Myitta in Tanintharyi Region, southeastern Myanmar.

They carried an assortment of firearms including assault rifles as they marched ahead of the column down dusty, rural roads. The KNPF are under the control of the Karen National Union, one of many ethnic organisations in the country that have been fighting for greater autonomy from central government for decades.

The KNU employs both political and, through its armed wing, military means to achieve its aims. The area of Monday's march falls within territory claimed by the KNU as part of their homeland, even though, according to the UN's refugee agency, Karen people are in the minority there.

After almost continuous warfare with the Myanmar army since the end of World War II, the KNU signed a national ceasefire agreement with the government in 2015. But its leaders have condemned the February 1 coup that brought the military back to power. Numerous breaches of the ceasefire have also put strain on the accord. There is an ongoing Myanmar army offensive in one part of Karen State that has so far displaced about 6,000 people, according to several aid organisations.