Karenni Interim Council Drafts 90-Day Plan for Civilian Security Oversight

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The Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC) has drafted a 90-day roadmap to place regional security forces under civilian leadership and establish accountable administration, following a strategic workshop held last month.

The proposal stems from a three-day session held from Oct. 14 to 16, supported by the Myanmar-Women Peace and Security (M-WPS) group and led by experts from the Institute for Peace and Social Justice (IPSJ), including Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd, a professor at the U.S. Defense Department’s Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.

While the plan has been drafted, evidence has not yet emerged confirming its formal adoption.

Twenty-three representatives from the IEC’s departments of Defense, Home Affairs, Justice, and Women and Children’s Affairs attended the workshop, which aimed to operationalize the Karenni State Interim Arrangement originally promulgated in January 2023 and revised in October 2024.

Participants examined Western civilian-military models from the U.S., NATO, and the European Union, emphasizing principles where civilian authorities control strategic policy, budgeting, and troop deployment while keeping operational military command distinct.

Under the proposed framework, modeled in part on the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, the Department of Defense would submit to civilian authority and withdraw entirely from domestic law enforcement to focus on fighting the military junta.

Meanwhile, the Department of Home Affairs would expedite the formation of a civilian-led police force to oversee local stability and policing operations.

Additionally, the Department of Justice would establish independent accountability mechanisms to investigate security personnel regardless of rank or affiliation, alongside secure complaint procedures aligned with international transitional justice standards.

The Department of Women and Children’s Affairs would also integrate gender protection measures into local governance while establishing victim-centered response systems for conflict management and gender-based violence.