God's Army (revolutionary group)
| God's Army | |
|---|---|
|
ဘုရားသခင်၏ တပ်မတော် Participant in the Internal conflict in Myanmar |
|
| Active | 1997–2006 |
| Ideology |
Karen interests Christian extremism |
| Leaders | Johnny and Luther Htoo |
| Area of operations |
Kayin State Myanmar-Thailand border |
| Size | 500 (peak) |
| Allies |
 Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors (alleged) |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars |
|
God's Army (Burmese: ဘုရားသခင်၏ တပ်မတော်) was an armed revolutionary Christian insurgent group that opposed the then military junta of Myanmar (Burma). The group was an offshoot of the Karen National Union. They were based along the Thailand-Burma border, and conducted a string of audacious guerrilla actions—including allegedly being involved in the seizure of the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok—during the 1990s and early 2000s.
God's Army was formed in an area of eastern Burma populated by the Karen ethnic group, who had been fighting against Burmese army at various times for over fifty years, primarily through the Karen National Union. In the early 90s the Burmese army launched a major operation to secure the route of an oil pipeline through the area. God's Army was led by brothers Johnny and Luther Htoo beginning in 1997, who were at that time estimated to be only ten years of age. Some of the followers of the twins believed that they had "Animist and Christian powers". According to the legend among followers, the twins then rallied defenders of their village by shouting "God's Army!", leading them to a victory over Burmese troops. The legend of the boys was embraced by locals who viewed the existing Karen National Union as corrupt and ineffective.
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