[12] Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced by the conflict, many of whom fled to neighbouring Thailand and survive in refugee camps.

[21] Speakers of Pwo Karen live in the plains of central and lower Myanmar and were assimilated into the dominant Mon social system.

The Bama Kayin (Sgaw) were either absorbed into Burmese society or pushed towards the mountains bordering Thailand in the east and Southeast by the Burman population.

Jonathan Wade was involved in producing dictionaries and establishing grammar rules for the Pwo and Sgaw Karen dialects.

In 1842, the Baptist Mission began to publish a Sgaw Karen monthly magazine called The Morning Star (Hsa Tu Gaw) that continued until its takeover by General Ne Win in 1962.

At some point, the "thirst for Christian education" , as written by a missionary, was so big that the "Eastern Karen" demanded a permanent teacher.

However the influence of Aung San and his Patriotic Burmese Forces (PBF) backed by the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) grew.

In August 1945 Karen leaders Saw Ba U Gyi and Sydney Loo-Nee proposed to a British official to create a state called 'Karenistan'.

Mary Callahan, an expert on Burmese Tatmadaw history wrote, "However, some combination of confidence (due to their experiences in prewar and wartime western institutions) and fear of mistreatment by the Burman majority kept Karen leaders in the army and in the society from moving toward a compromise with the AFPFL.

All the supporting services, the staff, supply and ammunition depots, the artillery and signal corps were commanded by Karen officers.

The British Service Mission (BSM) advised the Burmese military after independence, favouring Karen for promotion and positions of authority.

[78] In June 1948 former PBF officers organised meetings to address the growing power of Karen in the army and to stop the communist rebellion.

[78] Karen leadership distrusted the Third Burifs led by eventual coup leader and president, Ne Win.

[79] In mid-1948 then prime minister U Nu and Karen leader Saw Ba U Gyi toured the Irrawaddy delta to defuse escalation.

Ordered by Gen. Smith Dun and with permission of U Nu, local KNDO units attacked communist rebels and took the Twante channel, connecting Rangoon with the Irrawaddy river.

On Christmas Eve a locally raised ethnic Burman Sitwundan militia group threw grenades into a church in Palaw, killing eighty Christian Karen.

Prime Minister Nu expelled all Karen leaders from their military posts, replacing general Smith Dun with Ne Win.

KNU officials could only enter Kawkareik township if they were accompanied by fifty or more soldiers, because Thu Mu Hae had in effect created a private army.

Former KNU Foreign Affairs Secretary David Taw described how in 1993 exiled Burmese politicians told General Bo Mya not to pursue a ceasefire.

A final split was triggered by a dispute over the building of a Buddhist pagoda on a strategic hill near Manerplaw by the Thai border.

[104] In the southern part of Karen State or Myanmar twin brothers Johnny and Luther Htoo established God's Army in February 1997.

The brothers led villagers and KNLA members of the Fourth Brigade of the Tenasserim Region into armed clashes with government troops, separated from the KNU's leaders.

[104] After the fall of Manerplaw the KNU lost its Kawmoora stronghold to the north, which cost it most of its income derived from tax revenue, logging deals and cross-border trade.

In 2007 Major General Htin Maung left with a sizeable portion of the KNLA Seventh Brigade to form the KNU-KNLA Peace Council.

The KNU holds barely any territory inside Burma and the future of the organisation and the struggle for Karen independence is uncertain.

[112] However, in March 2018, the government violated the agreement by sending 400 Tatmadaw soldiers into KNU territory to build a road connecting two military bases.

On 27 April 2021, KNU insurgents captured Thaw Le Hta army camp on the west bank of the Salween River.

[116] On 21 March 2022, Karen forces overran the Maw Khee base near the Thai border in Dooplaya District.

In January 2011 the Thai Burmese Border Consortium (TBBC) set the total number of refugees at 141,549 people.

[128] The camps are operated under the Thai government, by the Karen Refugee Committee (KRC) which is responsible for clinics, schooling and internal administration.