Fresh armed clashes have erupted between two Chin insurgent groups in Myanmar’s Chin State over the last five days, causing an influx of at least 2,500 persons crossing the border and entering Zorkhawtar area of Mizoram’s Champhai district, Northeast News has reliably learnt.
There has been fierce exchange of gunfire in Rikhawdar area in Falam district of Chin State, Myanmar, since July 1, indicating that the Chin Brotherhood Alliance is trying to defend the strategically important zone against an offensive by the Chin National Army (CNA).
Once the CNA offensive began earlier this month near Rikhawdar, which is across Champhai in Mizoram, it has been trying to bring in reinforcements from Camp Victoria, also known as Chinlung that serves as the main insurgent group’s headquarters.
Indian security forces are said to be keeping a close watch on the battlefield developments in Rikhawdar even as Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma today rushed to Delhi to hold meetings with senior officials of the national security bureaucracy.
Lalduhoma is expected to meet the Ministry of Home Affairs officials tomorrow to chalk out a contingency plan in the event the volume of Chin displaced persons goes up in the days and weeks to come.
The Chin Brotherhood Alliance had seized Falam (in northern Chin State and opposite Mizoram), which is a hilltop base, after five months of intense fighting with Myanmar military junta forces, including Infantry Battalion-268.
The Chin Brotherhood alliance is entirely made up of anti-junta armed groups established since Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, including the Chin National Organization/CNDF (CNO/CNDF), Chinland Defence Force-Mindat (CDF Mindat), Kanpetlet CDF, Zomi Federal Union/People’s Defence Force-Zoland (ZFU/PDF-Zoland), and CDF Matupi, Brigade 1.
The offensive began in November 9, 2024, following which the Chin Brotherhood overran key areas in the township such a district-level police station and general administration office and junta army outposts.
The Chin Brotherhood’s offensive against Falam was aimed at controlling the land route between Hakha and Kalay in the Sagaing Region which was once the regional operations command of the Myanmar military junta.
The Chin Brotherhood Alliance controls four of Chin State’s nine townships—Matupi, Mindat, Kanpetlet, and Falam—while the Arakan Army controls Paletwa Township.
The Chinland Council, in which the dominant force in the CNA, took control of Tonzang town in Falam district last year.
