Two killed in shootout between anti-junta armed groups in Chin State

Two fighters died in a gunfight that broke out early on Wednesday morning between anti-junta armed groups operating near Lailenpi, Chin State, according to a spokesperson for one of the groups. The shooting took place four miles outside of the town of Lailenpi in Chin State’s Matupi Township, currently under the control of the Chin National Army (CNA), the armed wing of the Chin National Front. The two slain fighters were a CNA sergeant and squadron commander for the Mara chapter of the Chinland Defence Forces (CDF-Mara). A CDF-Mara deputy battalion commander was also injured. Members of three groups—the CNA, CDF-Mara, and Maraland Defence Force (MDF)—were reportedly involved in the exchange of fire. Ko James, a spokesperson for CDF-Mara, told Myanmar Now that MDF fighters initiated the shootout by firing on an outpost jointly manned by ten armed personnel of the CNA and CDF-Mara. “We had an outpost between Milestone 9 and Lailenpi. They surrounded it at night and started to attack,” Ko James said. An allied force of CNA and CDF fighters overran the Myanmar army bases in and near Lailenpi in November of 2023 before taking control of the town and taking steps to establish an administrative apparatus there. Spokespersons for the MDF said they were not fully aware of the circumstances surrounding the shooting due to difficulties in communication, but said that the area where the fighting occurred is MDF territory and no other armed group has the authority to establish an outpost there. “What I can say for certain is what we’ve already stated publicly: the Maraland is our territory and no armed group is allowed to set up a station here without our permission. A failure to comply with this rule might have caused this confrontation with us,” said Duwun, an MDF secretary. The Mara people inhabit more than 60 villages throughout Chin State’s Thantlang, Matupi, and Paletwa townships, as well as parts of the Indian state of Mizoram. The two major armed groups operating in this area, both of which include members of the Mara ethnic community in their ranks, are CDF-Mara—which is closely allied with the CNA—and the MDF, which tends to cooperate with the Arakan Army (AA). The AA is a powerful armed organisation most active in Rakhine State and neighbouring parts of southern Chin State, where members of the MDF fought alongside them in recent attacks on junta bases. On January 18, the MDF publicly announced that to prevent unnecessary clashes among armed groups, it would not allow other armed groups to deploy their forces within a designated territory claimed by the Mara Territorial Council without prior notice. Earlier that month, CDF-Mara claimed the MDF had detained six of its members, including two who had arrived unarmed in response to an MDF invitation to negotiate their comrades’ release. One of the CDF-Mara members has reportedly managed to escape, while the rest remain in MDF custody. CDF-Mara has been unable to obtain information about the five members still being held by the MDF, according to Ko James. He added that CDF-Mara plans to retaliate. “We have been very patient on many matters because this is a problem between Mara people. However, Lailenpi has started to interfere with our plans,” Ko James said, referring to the MDF fighters based in the town. “Now they’ve even gone so far as to shoot up our outpost, we are making preparations to retaliate and to protect our bases as needed,” he added. MDF secretary Duwun argued that Lailenpi was in his organisation’s territory and that only local armed forces should be operating there, notwithstanding the role of CNA and CDF fighters in seizing the town from the Myanmar military. “Lailenpi is still within the Mara region and within the territory of the Maraland Territorial Council and the MDF. We understand that everyone is launching attacks against junta forces all over the country but we believe that administration and local law enforcement should be the preserve of local forces,” he added. When asked about the status of the five detained CDF members, Duwun responded, “We can only address that question after discussing it with our higher-ups.”

Two killed in shootout between anti-junta armed groups in Chin State

The Maraland Defence Force (MDF)—a local ally of the AA that has been enforcing territorial claims in the area—allegedly initiated the exchange of fire with members of two other locally active groups

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