Ethnic parties from five states are trying to form an alliance by merging the United Nationalities Alliance and Nationalities Brotherhood Federation, Chin National League for Democracy Chairman Pu Zo Zam told The Daily Eleven. 

Ethnic parties from Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Kayah and Mon states have been planning for years to form an alliance. They have held a series of meetings to realize their goal. 

"Our aim is to merge UNA and NBF. Our only aim is to form a powerful ethnic force. But we will not go separately after merging five parties. The plan is to merge UNA and NBF," Pu Zo Zam said. 

CNLD was established after the merger of Chin National Democratic Party, Chin Progress Party and Chin League for Democracy. 

Before the merger, Chin National Democratic Party was a member of NBF and two other Chin parties members of UNA. Other remaining ethnic parties from Kachin, Kayin, Kayah and Mon states had been UNA and NBF members. 

Non-member parties of UNA and NBF are also likely to join a new ethnic alliance to be formed but there must be a policy in support of federalism, said Pu Zo Zam. 

UNA was formed with 15 ethnic parties including Shan Nationalities League for Democracy and Arakan League for Democracy. NBF was formed with 20 ethnic parties including Shan Nationalities Democratic Party and Arakan National Party formerly known as Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.