SUMMARY
United Baloch Army (UBA) is one of several militant separatist groups based in the province of Balochistan in western Pakistan. UBA opposes the Government of Pakistan and aims to establish an independent state. Despite being rich in natural resources, Balochistan is among the poorest regions in Pakistan. This, together with the growing influx from Punjab and other non-ethnic Baloch, has resulted in a widespread perception among ethnic Baloch who feel economically and politically marginalized within Pakistan. As a result, the region has seen a number of insurgency movements since the state of Pakistan was created in 1948 and the Pakistani government has repeatedly used brutal military force to suppress the uprisings.
UBA emerged as a splinter from BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army), due to a rift between brothers Hyrbyair and Mehran Marri. It is unclear exactly when UBA was founded, as sources state conflicting numbers. UBA appeared for the first time in UCDP data in 2012 and was then described as a previously unknown group, suggesting that UBA emerged around that time. The rift between Mehran Marri and Hyrbyair Marri, alleged leader of BLA, that led to the split concerned the succession of BLA leadership. Mehran Marri and his accomplices allegedly stole money and weapons from BLA to launch UBA.
The leader Mehran Marri, the youngest son of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, lived in exile in the United Kingdom and was a representative of Balochistan to the Human Rights Council in the United Nations and the EU. After the death of his father in 2014, Mehran Marri succeeded the leadership of the Marri tribe. There were several groups in the region fighting for the same cause, however little intergroup coordination was observed. Pakistani government claimed that several Baloch insurgent groups received support from India, however these allegations were denied. Pakistani government has repeatedly accused the Indian government of providing support to the separatist movements. There was, however, no evidence confirming India’s involvement.
UBA has been involved in the intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organized violence.
