The Chin Defense Force-Mindat (CDF-Mindat) said it is resuming military operations against Myanmar’s junta nearly two months after the resistance group was rocked by internal disagreement over the establishment of a Chin State government.
The state government was established on Feb. 1 by the Chinland Council, which was formed under the Chinland Constitution.
CDF-Mindat and other stakeholders in Chin State opposed the formation of the council, which is dominated by the Chin National Army (CNA) and elected lawmakers from the National League for Democracy (NLD).
The self-described government consists of more than a dozen ministries including foreign affairs and defense. Under the Chinland Constitution ratified in December, the CNA is the only armed force representing the Chin people, meaning all resistance forces must come under the direct command of its defense ministry.
Amid internal divisions over the formation of the CNF-led government, CDF-Mindat held a three-day conference from March 30-April 1. The meeting resolved to settle the disagreement and step up military operations with allies, information officer Ko Zalet Thway told The Irrawaddy.
Mindat residents confirmed there have been no clashes between junta and resistance forces in Mindat Township for months. Neither have junta battalions been ambushed, they said.
“After the disagreement arose, the group that carried out attacks on junta positions left. Previously, junta troops had dared not leave the town when they [CDF-Mindat forces] were around. After the group left, junta soldiers even threw a party to celebrate. They also resumed patrols along the main roads and surrounding villages,” said a resident.
There have also been frequent arrests of civilians at checkpoints manned by police and junta soldiers in and out of Mindat Town. On April 1, two young men were seized and taken to Infantry Battalion 274 for interrogation, said residents.
The last fighting reported by CDF-Mindat took place in urban Mindat on Jan. 1, when a junta major was hit by a sniper.
The regime has however continued conducting air raids on Mindat Township, with three aerial attacks in March and two bombings of a village on Monday (April 1).
CDF-Mindat was among the first resistance groups to take up arms against the military regime. It clashed with regime forces on April 24, 2021, little more than two months after the military coup of Feb. 1. It was the first resistance group to destroy junta military vehicles using only primitive hunting rifles.
CDF-Mindat announced on its second anniversary in April 2023 that it had killed over 450 regime soldiers in a total of 218 clashes. It said 55 resistance fighters had lost their lives in the clashes.
The resistance group had taken control of much of Mindat Township and parts of Mindat town, effectively isolating Infantry Battalion 274, before it was hit by internal disagreements.
The CDF belongs to a five-member military alliance known as the Chin Brothers. The alliance recently organized a fundraising event for a planned operation.
