Kachin State
Northern Myanmar state with world's finest jade deposits amid Kachin Independence Army conflict since 1961.
Kachin State is Myanmar's northernmost region—a mountainous territory bordering China and India where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has waged armed struggle since 1961. The state contains jade deposits of enormous value, creating economic stakes that intensify conflict.
Jade mining dominates the economy—Kachin's Hpakant deposits produce the world's highest-quality jadeite, worth billions annually. Control of mines generates revenue for both military and ethnic armed groups. The industry operates through opaque networks connecting miners, traders, and Chinese buyers.
The KIA, one of Myanmar's most capable ethnic armed organizations, controls significant territory. Following the 2021 coup, fighting intensified as the KIA joined the anti-junta resistance. Military offensives and KIA counterattacks displace populations and disrupt economic activity beyond the jade trade.
The biological pattern is resource-conflict nexus: Kachin's jade wealth creates incentives for armed control that perpetuate conflict, with extraction continuing regardless of which authority holds territory.