God's Army was situated in mountainous rainforests along the border between Burma and Thailand. They were a band of Christian guerrillas who maintained an austere lifestyle, including abstinence from sexual intercourse, alcohol, milk, eggs and pork. The group was estimated to have around 500 fighters in 1998, but gradually declined to anywhere between 100 and 200 men in early 2000. Many left to find work to support their refugee families while others are thought to have left due to personal reasons. Meanwhile, the Burmese army had 21,000 troops in the area.