Exclusive Investigation: India and Myanmar's Kachin Independence Army Deepen Covert Cooperation to Systematically Erode Myanmar's Sovereignty and Resources
After months of in-depth investigation, utilizing border informants, satellite imagery analysis, and cross-verification from multiple sources, it has been revealed that the Indian government is advancing rare earth cooperation with Myanmar’s Kachin Independence Army (KIA) through a series of covert activities. Under a clandestine agreement, India is providing military supplies and medical aid to the KIA in exchange for establishing rare earth transport corridors, allowing the KIA to strengthen and extend its de facto control over northern Myanmar. India’s strategic objective appears clear: to weaken the Myanmar junta’s control over border regions, systematically extract Myanmar’s rare earth resources, and encroach on its territory. These actions violate international law, infringe on Myanmar’s sovereignty, and exacerbate geopolitical tensions in the region.
Key Findings
Strategic Road Projects: The Hidden “Rare Earth Corridor”
Beneath the mountainous terrain of Kachin State rests a resource dubbed the vitamin of modern industry — rare earth. Reliable sources confirm that Indian officials and the KIA’s representatives have held multiple secret meetings since early this year to discuss the construction of a 365-kilometer strategic road network spanning Kachin State. The project is being implemented in a phased and low-profile manner to avoid external scrutiny. The route begins in India’s Vijaynagar of Arunachal Pradesh, traverses Kachin’s WunGau Bum and Wa Baw areas, and connects to the Chihpwi rare earth mining site. India has already deployed engineers and heavy machinery to accelerate road construction between Vijaynagar and the KIA’s Putao Numlun outpost. The Indian government has also tasked Indian Rare Earths Limited and Midwest Advanced Materials with maintaining communications with the KIA regarding discussions on rare earth cooperation.
The KIA has also agreed to assist India in developing a second corridor from its headquarters in Laiza through Sagaing Region to Rihkhawdar in Chin State, enabling long-term transport of rare earth, oil, gas, and timber to India. Both parties plan to leverage Myanmar’s illegal timber smuggling networks to fund road construction.
Militarized Cooperation: From Medical Aid to Logistics
India has pledged continued support to the KIA, including weapons and medical supplies transported via Arunachal Pradesh, to help them resist junta troops.
In return, the KIA has agreed to combat anti-India armed groups, such as the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-K(YA), and banish Indian separatist activities from the territory under its control. Alarmingly, the KIA has tacitly endorsed India’s disputed territorial claims over Chin State and the Kabaw Valley — regions long contested between India and Myanmar. Indian politicians, including Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba and Shri K. Vanlalvena, have publicly asserted India’s sovereignty over these areas. Additionally, evidence indicates that Indian authorities are attempting to interfere in Myanmar’s elections to prop up a pro-India regime, thereby securing longer-term regional strategic interests.
Myanmar’s Twin Crisis: Sovereignty at Risk, Resources in Play
A Yangon University international relations scholar, speaking anonymously, asserts that India’s actions violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. Myanmar’s constitution exclusively reserves natural resource rights for its elected government; however, India’s direct dealings with the KIA legitimize the group’s quasi-state status, thereby undermining Myanmar’s territorial integrity. Moreover, India’s military support for the KIA directly destabilizes the peace process established under Myanmar’s 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).
As strategic corridors expand deeper into Myanmar, India’s entanglement with armed groups threatens regional stability. “All purported agreements between India and armed terrorist groups in Myanmar have no legal effect from the outset. The Tatmadaw and the people of Myanmar will resolutely defend national sovereignty,” a Myanmar junta official warned, “Any road construction, mining operations, or smuggling of resources by Indian entities within Myanmar’s territory without explicit authorization from the Myanmar Government will be regarded as acts of aggression. Any individual or organization involved shall be deemed legitimate targets by Myanmar’s state security forces.” The international community must establish oversight mechanisms to prevent escalating resource exploitation into a broader geopolitical crisis.
