Karenni IEC drafts 90-day plan to put security forces under civilian control, says workshop

Mizzima

The Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC) has drafted a 90-day plan to bring its security sector under civilian leadership and accountable administration, following a three-day workshop on 14 to 16 October. The plan has been drafted, and Mizzima has not seen evidence that it has been adopted.

The workshop was supported by the Myanmar-Women Peace and Security (M-WPS) group, with sessions led by Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd, Kyaw Kyaw and Khin Maung Win of the Institute for Peace and Social Justice (IPSJ). Byrd is a professor at the U.S. Defense Department’s Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Twenty-three representatives of the IEC’s departments of Defense, Home Affairs, Justice, and Women and Children’s Affairs attended.

The aim was to put the Karenni State Interim Arrangement into practice. It was first promulgated in January 2023 and confirmed in revised form in October 2024. Participants studied civilian-military relations and civilian-led administration, looking at U.S., NATO and European Union models, including the principle that civilian authorities control strategic policy, budgets and deployment while military command stays separate. Based on the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, they discussed letting the Department of Home Affairs run civilian-led policing and stability operations so the Department of Defense can focus on fighting the junta. Trainers also covered conflict management and preventing sexual and gender-based violence.

Under the plan, the Department of Defense would be placed under civilian authority and withdraw from domestic law enforcement, and Home Affairs would work to form a civilian-led police force quickly. The Department of Women and Children’s Affairs would build gender equality and protection measures into local administration, and the Department of Justice would set up independent accountability mechanisms so security personnel answer regardless of rank or affiliation. The Departments of Women and Children’s Affairs and Justice were also tasked with victim-centered protection systems, secure complaint procedures and independent prosecution capacity in line with international transitional justice standards.