The recent signing of agreement between two rival alliances of anti-Junta armed groups of Myanmar’s Chin State to become a unified body – Chin National Council (CNC) surprises Indian media houses, think tanks and political observers etc.
Representatives of the Chinland Council (CC) and Interim Chin National Consultative Council (ICNCC) signed an agreement on February 26 in Aizawl under the initiative of Lalduhoma, Chief Minister of India’s Northeast State of Mizoram to form and recognise the authority of a new, unified body, the Chin National Council (CNC), according to a report published on February 28, 2025 by Myanmar Now.
The Chin armed groups have been fighting against the military junta after the 2021 coup that took over the power from the democratically-elected Aung San Suu Kyi-led elected government in Myanmar. However, factional and rivalry fights among the Chin armed groups has remained a worry for the resistance movement against the military regime in Myanmar.
After the military coup on February 1, 2021, ICNCC was formed on April 13, 2021 by Chin resistance groups including CNF, and elected members of parliament including National League for Democracy (NLD), Civil Disobedient Movement (CDM), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) including youths and women groups. The group receives support from the civilian-led National Unity Government (NUG), the alternative governing body opposing the Myanmar military regime.
First People’s Congress held from January 27 to 29, 2023 reaffirmed federal democratic agreement and right to self-determination paving the way for a future of shared justice and autonomy.
However, differences CNF and other groups could not be resolved within the alliance and the First Chinland Conference under the initiative of CNF was held from December 4 to 7, 2023 at Victoria Base Camp of CNF near Indo-Myanmar Border where 14 MPs, 68 members of local administrations, Chinland Defense Forces (CDF) also participated. The Conference ratified Chinland Constitution and formed Chinland Council (CC) on December 6, 2023.
The CNF had been part of the ICNCC before withdrawing from it in 2023 and initiating the formation of the Chinland Council.
The Chin people have always opposed Myanmar military rules. In order to fight Myanmar’s military regime with armed opposition, the Chin National Front (CNF) and its armed wing, the Chin National Army (CNA), were established in March 1988. Following the military coup in February 2021, the people in dozens of towns and villages in Chin State formed local armed resistance groups, commonly referred to as People’s Defense Forces (PDFs). Many of these PDFs subsequently consolidated into township-based military units known as the Chinland Defense Forces (CDFs). Some of the CDFs received military training and supplies from the CNF and CNA.
In December 2023, the informal united front started to fall apart. On December 6, 2023, the CNF and its allied CDFs announced the adoption of an interim constitution for Chinland and the formation of the Chinland Council. However, some of the CDFs, particularly those in Falam, Kanpetiet, Matupi, Mindat, and Tedim, objected to some of the provisions of the interim constitution. One of their main objections was the dominant political power of the CNF on the Chinland Council. Despite efforts to resolve their differences, the dissident CDFs announced the formation of the Chin Brotherhood Alliance (CBA) on December 30, 2023.
Some Chin community members’ mistrust of the CNF perhaps contributed to the objections to the Chinland Council. Notably, the CNF was one of the few Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) to support Thein Sein’s unsuccessful Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2015 despite significant opposition to the proposed agreement with Chin society and among the other major EAOs. For some involved in the Chin resistance movement, the CNF appears open to dialogue and compromise with the military junta.
The negotiations that preceded the agreement between the two rival alliances, whose relations with one another have been tense for some years, were mediated by Lalduhoma, the head of government of the India’s Northeast State of Mizoram, which shares a border 510 km with Chin State of Myanmar.
Chief Minister Lalduhoma was present as the agreement was concluded on February 26, 2025 in Aizawl, Mizoram. The Advocacy Group for Peace, formed under his direction, has been entrusted with overseeing the unification of the two Chin resistance forces in the newly established political organisation, Chin National Council.
Meanwhile, the direct involvement of Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma in the unification of two rival alliances of Myanmar’s Chin State sends shockwaves to Manipur, which is borders with Mizoram, and Myanmar’s Chin State and Sagaing Region.
It may be mentioned that Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma continues to call for “Zo nationhood” which transcends the boundaries of three countries India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. On September 4, 2024, in Indianapolis, USA, the Chief Minister of Mizoram, Lalduhoma delivered a speech with a powerful call for a united “Zo nation” for the Chin-Kuki-Zomi tribes beyond India’s borders to encompass culturally and religiously connected tribes in Bangladesh and Myanmar. His words aimed to foster a sense of unity among these dispersed communities, but the underlying implications have sparked concerns about creating a political entity that could destabilize geopolitical landscape between India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Chin-Kuki-Zomi tribes are now spread across India’s Manipur and Mizoram states, as well as parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar, and share linguistic, cultural, and religious ties that make them feel connected across borders.
Prior to his speech on September 4, 2024, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma in Maryland, on September 2, 2024 spoke of the Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) movement of 1988 and proposed the possibility of uniting the “Zo” people of India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh under Indian governance. His speech suggested a vision of integration within India’s framework: “The main objective of the ZORO movement in 1988 was Zo-Reunification within India. Can the ‘Zo’ people in India, Burma, and Bangladesh today aspire to be reunited under India?”
The Chins, Mizos, Zomis and Kukis, who identfy themselves as ‘Zos’, espouse the dream of an “independent Zoland” comprising Mizoram, parts of Manipur, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Lalduhoma, the chief of regional party, Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), who became Mizoram Chief Minister in December 2023, has openly supported the causes of these ethnic groups.
About his role in the unification process of the two rival alliances of anti-Junta Chin armed groups, according to reports, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said, “It is my mission”.
Moreover, Mizoram MP K. Vanlalvena visited the camp and offices of the Chinland Council, a rebel outfit controlling parts of north-west Myanmar in areas bordering India, last week. He said that he had invited them to join the Union of India, given that there is no official government in Myanmar, and that there is a shared ethnic bond and cultural ties on both sides of the border.
MP Vanlalvena from the Mizo National Front (MNF) is a member of Rajya Sabha, the Upper House (Council of States) of the Indian Parliament said that he had informed Mizoram Governor V.K. Singh and the Assam Rifles before crossing over to Myanmar on foot from Mizoram over the past week. He said that he met the Chinland Council members to “forge friendship and brotherhood”, as the outfit has controlled and administered areas bordering the State of Mizoram for the past six months, and as there is no government in Myanmar.
However, the Chin community still has deep-rooted divides in spite of the unification. Violent confrontations between Chin armed groups have frequently resulted from disagreements over military strategy, geographical control, and governance. The approval of Chinland’s Interim Constitution in December 2023 has been one of the most controversial topics. As a result, on December 30, 2023, a group of Chin Defence Forces (CDFs) from Falam, Kanpetlet, Matupi, Mindat, and Tedim formed the Chin Brotherhood Alliance (CBA) popularly known as CB. The CC’s governance structure has been opposed by the CBA, which is supported by the Zomi Federal Union, Chin National Organisation, Mindat Chin National Council, Maraland Defence Force (MDF), and Kampelet Chin Defence Force.
Over the years, the Chin National Front (CNF), founded in 1988, is one of the oldest insurgent groups and has become a powerful force. But many Chin people were against any interaction with the military junta, therefore its involvement in Myanmar’s 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) caused controversy. Another area of controversy is CNF’s resistance to the Arakan Army’s (AA) occupation of Paletwa Township. Although Paletwa is technically in Chin State, the AA maintains that it is its own, and it has gained backing from the CBA in exchange for help in its larger struggle against the junta. Armed conflicts have already been caused by this disagreement; in February 2024, CC attacked the Maraland Defence Force, and in June 2024, CNF and CBA soldiers clashed in Matupi Township.
A long-standing antagonism between different ethnic groupings within Chin society is at the core of the Chin conflict. There are at least 60 tribes in the Chin group, and each has its own languages and cultural customs. Although the Falam tribe had a significant amount of authority in the past, the Hakha have recently become the most influential authority. The political and military loyalties of various Chin armed groups or factions reflect this ethnic division. Tribes in central Chin State typically support the Chinland Council, while northern and southern Chin State groups favour the Chin Brotherhood Alliance. However, since each hamlet and town has a PDF that supports the CBA and another that supports the Chinland Council, the allegiances are not strictly geographical.
Some Chin activists believe that the conflict is significantly shaped by the generational split. Older generations, especially religious leaders, support a more cautious response to the junta, while younger Chins, influenced by contemporary political philosophies and exposure to the outside world, argue for robust military resistance. Attempts to unite the Chin groups under a common political or military strategy are complicated by the interaction of these disparate influences.
While the Chin merger represents a step towards regional stability for some geo-political players, it remains fragile. The persistence of inter-group disputes, coupled with external pressures from Myanmar’s military, Bangladesh-based radical elements, and broader geopolitical factors, could destabilise the reconciliation process. Long-term stability will require ongoing diplomatic engagement, careful handling of ethnic tensions, and a systematic strategy to align Chin factions in their broader opposition against the military regime.
The reconciliation between warring factions in the Chin Hills of Myanmar marks a significant shift in the region’s conflict landscape. This Chin reunification is believed to be part of a larger strategic plan formulated by Indian security experts to counter emerging threats in the neighbourhood. The impact this development could give on Manipur will depend on the continuity and stability of the unification of the two rival alliances of anti-Junta Chin armed groups. Despite the unification of the two rival alliances of anti-Junta Chin armed groups into Chin National Council, deep-rooted rivalries among the tribes of Chin community are yet to be resolved for success and stability.
Senior Editor: Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
