Kuki-Chin National Front

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Kuki-Chin National Front
AbbreviationKNF
Leader Nathan Bom
Chief Coordinator Cheosim Bom [1]  (POW)
FounderNathan Bom
Founded2008(16 years ago) (2008) (as Kuki-Chin National Development Organization)
Headquarters Chin state, Myanmar
Armed wing Kuki-Chin National Army
Ideology Autonomy  demands [2] [3]
Anti-Chakma sentiment [2] [3] [4]
Anti-Marma  sentiment [3] [2]
Anti-Tripuri  sentiment [3]
Kuki-Chin  interests [3]
Slogan"Nehnak Chu Lalpa Ta"
Party flag
Kuki-Chin National Front Flag.png
Website
Kuki-Chin National Front - KNF Facebook [a]
^  a: KNF has no official website, but it maintains an official facebook page where it updates about its activities.

The Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), also known as the Bom Party, [5] is a banned ethno-nationalist armed militant political organization in Bangladesh based in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Established by Nathan Bom in 2008, KNF aims to establish a separate autonomous or independent state for Bawm, Pangkhua, Lushai, Khumi, Mru & Khiang peoples with nine subdistricts (upazilas) of Rangamati and Bandarban districts. [5] [6] The Front has an armed wing called Kuki-Chin National Army. According to Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies, Kuki-Chin National Front has received weapons from Kachin State in Myanmar, [7] and also has ties with Karen rebels. [8]

Contents

History

The red-colured areas in this map of the Chittagong Hill Tracts indicate to the proposed Kuki-Chin State. Most of the territories demanded by KNF fall under Rangamati and Bandarban districts Proposed map of Kuki-Chin State (en).svg
The red-colured areas in this map of the Chittagong Hill Tracts indicate to the proposed Kuki-Chin State. Most of the territories demanded by KNF fall under Rangamati and Bandarban districts

Kuki-Chin National Front was established in 2017 by members of the Bawm people in Bangladesh with two thousand personnel. [7] The Bawm community is mostly Christian and accuses the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti of discrimination. [7] The founding president of the Kuki-Chin National Front is Nathan Bom, a graduate of fine arts from the University of Dhaka. [7] He was previously involved with the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti's student wing, the Pahari Chhatra Parishad, and founded the Kuki-Chin National Development Organization in 2008 and renamed to Kuki-Chin National Volunteers (KNV) in 2016. [7] [5] KNV developed relations with the rebels of the Manipur state of India and Chin state of Myanmar. [3] In the first batch of KNV fighters, over a hundred members of the organization were sent to Manipur for training, followed by 100 members to be sent to India's Manipur and Myanmar's Karen and Kachin states. [3] The Kuki-Chin National Volunteers would become the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) in 2020. [5]

In June 2022, the Kuki-Chin National Front attacked a camp of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, killing three in Belaichhari Upazila, Rangamati District. [9] In October, tourists were sent back from Bandarban District in preparation for an operation by Bangladesh Army and other security forces against Kuki-Chin National Front. [10] In November 2022, Bangladesh Army launched a drive against Kuki-Chin National Front which saw 270 Kuki people seek refuge in Mizoram State in India. [11] [12]

In February 2023, Rapid Action Battalion arrested 17 personnel of Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya and three members of Kuki-Chin National Front after a day-long gunfight. [13] They also recovered AK-22 rifles among other weapons and bomb making equipment. [14] Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya paid 1.7 million to Kuki-Chin National Front for weapons. [15] By January 2023, 14 members of Kuki-Chin National Front were detained. [16]

Kuki-Chin National Army

Kuki-Chin National Army
LeaderNathan Bom
Chief of StaffVanchun Lian Master [8]
Dates of operation2022 (2022) – present (present)
CountryFlag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
AllegianceKuki-Chin National Front
MotivesThe creation of an autonomous Kuki-Chin state in the nine upazilas of Rangamati and Bandarban district
Active regions Chittagong Hill Tracts
Slogan"Fighting for self determination and peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh"[ citation needed ]
StatusActive
Size100 (2016) [3]
2,000 (2024) [17]
Means of revenueRobbery, arms trading
Allies
Opponents
Battles and wars Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict (second phase)
Designated as a terrorist group byFlag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh [18]

Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA) is the armed wing of Kuki-Chin National Front. [19] Vanchun Lian Master, a vice-principal of the government primary school, is the chief of staff of the Kuki-Chin National Front's armed wing. [8]

From 11 to 17 January 2023, the Bandarban District administration banned tourists in the district due to a security forces' operation against the Kuki-Chin National Army. [20] A bullet hit body of Kuki-Chin National Army personnel was found Ruma Upazila on 30 January 2023 after a gunfight with security forces. [21] Another gunfight took place between Rapid Action Battalion and the Kuki-Chin National Army. [22] On 12 March, the Assam Rifles detained two members of the Kuki-Chin National Army in Mirozam. [23] In April 2023, eight people were killed in a shoot-out between the United People's Democratic Front (Democratic), a fraction of the United People's Democratic Front, and Kuki-Chin National Army in Rowangchhari Upazila, Bandarban District. [19]

Militant activities

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chittagong Hill Tracts</span> Region in southeastern Bangladesh

The Chittagong Hill Tracts, often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, are a group of districts within the Chittagong Division in southeastern Bangladesh, bordering India and Myanmar (Burma) in the east. Covering 13,295 square kilometres (5,133 sq mi), they formed a single district until 1984, when they were divided into three districts: Khagrachhari, Rangamati, and Bandarban.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandarban District</span> District in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh

Bandarban is a district in South-Eastern Bangladesh, and a part of the Chittagong Division. It is one of the three hill districts of Bangladesh and a part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the others being Rangamati District and Khagrachhari District. Bandarban district (4,479 km2) is not only the most remote district of the country, but also the least populous. There is an army contingent at Bandarban Cantonment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Kadam Upazila</span> Upazila in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Alikadam is an upazila of Bandarban District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lama Upazila</span> Upazila in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Lama is an upazila of Bandarban District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rowangchhari Upazila</span> Upazila in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Rowangchhari is an upazila (sub-district) of Bandarban District in southeastern Bangladesh, part of the Chittagong Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanchi Upazila</span> Upazila in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Thanchi is an upazila of Bandarban District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panchhari Upazila</span> Upazila in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Panchhari is an upazila of Khagrachari District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict</span> Conflict between the Bangladeshi government and tribal insurgents

The insurgency in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, also known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict, refers to a political and armed conflict that occurred in Bangladesh in two phases:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bawm people</span> Ethnic community in Bangladesh

The Bom, Bawm or Bawmzo, are an ethnic community inhabiting the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. According to the 2022 Bangladeshi census the population of Bawms in Bangladesh is 13,193. In 2004, around 10,000 Bawm inhabited India. 2,500 Bawms reside in Myanmar. They speak the Sino-Tibetan Bawm language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zomi Revolutionary Army</span> Nationalist insurgent group

The Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) is an armed Zomi nationalist militant group formed in 1997, following an increase in ethnic tensions between the Kuki people and the Paite tribe in Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. Its parent organisation, the Zomi Re-unification Organisation, was founded in April 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mru language</span> Sino-Tibetan language primarily spoken in Bangladesh

Mru, also known as Mrung (Murung), is a Sino-Tibetan language of Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is spoken by a community of Mrus (Mros) inhabiting the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh with a population of 22,000 according to the 1991 census, and in Rakhine State, Myanmar. The Mrus are the second-largest tribal group in Bandarban District of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. A small group of Mros also live in Rangamati Hill District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in Bangladesh</span>

Bangladesh has experienced terrorism in the past conducted by a number of different organisations. In the past, both ISIL and other terrorist organisations had claimed to be active in the country. However, the Bangladeshi government believes that they mainly operated through local affiliates, before being neutralised by security forces.

Dighinala Cantonment is a cantonment in Dighinala, outside of Khagrachari. 24th Infantry Division of Bangladesh Army inhabit here.

The 2015 Bangladesh–Arakan Army border clash took place between 25 August 2015 and 26 August 2015 in the Bandarban District, near the Bangladesh–Myanmar border, after several insurgents of the Arakan Army attacked members of Border Guards Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuki National Army</span> Militant organisation

The Kuki National Army (KNA) is a Kuki insurgent group active in Upper Myanmar and in pockets of Northeast India. It is the armed wing of the Kuki National Organisation.

Nathan Lancheo Bom is a Bawm politician and militant leader from the Chittagong Hill Tracts who is the founding president of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), as well as the leader of the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA). He founded KNF in 2017. Since then, his location remains unknown.

Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya is a banned Islamist terrorist organization in Bangladesh. It has received support from the Kuki-Chin National Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (MN Larma)</span> Political party in Bangladesh

The Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (MN Larma) (Bengali: পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম জনসংহতি সমিতি (এম এন লারমা); United People's Party of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (MN Larma); abbreviated PCJSS-MN Larma), also known as the Jana Samhati Samiti (MN Larma) and JSS-MN Larma, is a regional political party in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Chittagong, Bangladesh. PCJSS-MN Larma is named after M. N. Larma, the founding leader of the PCJSS. Whilst the PCJSS demands the full implementation of the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, the PCJSS-MN Larma still demands autonomy for the Chittagong Hill Tracts. They are allegedly allied to the United People's Democratic Front (Democratic).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Dabanal</span> Operation by Bangladesh Army

Operation Dabanal, translation Operation Wildfire, was a counterinsurgency operation carried out by Bangladesh Army in the Chittagong Hill Tracts from 1977 to 1997. During the operation an estimated 30 to 80 security personnel were deployed to the region.

References

  1. ↑ "Nathan Bom's close associate, KNF 'chief coordinator' arrested". Prothom Alo. 7 April 2024. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 http://www.itvbd.com/analysis/141797 Archived 7 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 পাহাড়ে রহস্যময় নাম 'নাথান বম'. Protidiner Sangbad. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024.
  4. ↑ Evolution of Kuki Chin National Front as a Separatist Group and Impact on National and Regional Security. Nujhat Amina Jarin. Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies. August 2023. Archived 11 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 3 4 "In Chattogram Hill Tracts, a new group of armed insurgents is making waves. Who are they?". bdnews24.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "KNF: Where does it get its funding and what is its endgame?". Dhaka tribune. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Who are these Kuki-Chin armies in the CHT?". Dhaka Tribune. 17 January 2023. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 "KNF disrupting tourism, development works in Bandarban". Dhaka Tribune. 21 March 2023. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "3 reportedly shot dead in CHT". The Daily Star. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Tourists being sent back from Bandarban". Dhaka Tribune. 18 October 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  11. ↑ "KNF — A New Threat to Regional Security? | CGS". cgs-bd.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "Why Did Bangladesh's Kuki Chin Flee to India's Northeast?". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  13. ↑ Islam, Shariful; Marma, Mong Sing Hai (8 February 2023). "Bandarban's Thanchi: Rab arrests 17 militants after daylong gunfight". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Militants held in hills: Educated, yet they chose the wrong path". The Daily Star. 9 February 2023. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Jama'atul Ansar financed Tk 17 lakh to buy heavy weapons: Rab". The Daily Star. 4 November 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "12 militants, 14 KNF members arrested so far in anti-militancy drive in Bandarban: Rab". The Business Standard. 12 January 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "Evolution of Kuki Chin National Front as Separatist Group and Impact on National and Region Security" (PDF). Bangladesh Institute Of Peace And Security Studies. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  18. ↑ "Govt to go tough on KNF". The Daily Star.
  19. 1 2 "8 killed in 'shootout' between 2 armed groups in Bandarban: police". The Daily Star. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "Tourism banned again in Bandarban's Thanchi". Dhaka Tribune. 9 January 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  21. ↑ "'KNF man' found shot dead in CHT". The Daily Star. 30 January 2023. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  22. ↑ "5 held over RAB-KNF gunfight in Bandarban". Dhaka Tribune. 7 February 2023. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  23. ↑ "Mizoram: Two active Kuki Chin National Army cadres arrested by Assam Rifles in Lawgtlalai district". India Today NE. 12 March 2023. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  24. ↑ "Retired army sergeant abducted by KNA". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  25. ↑ "Army man killed as KNA activists open fire in Bandarban". businesspostbd.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  26. ↑ বান্দরবানে কেএনএর গুলিতে সেনাসদস্য নিহত. banglanews24.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  27. ↑ "Kuki-Chin National Army attack kills 2 Army men: ISPR". Prothom Alo. 17 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  28. ↑ সোনালি ব্যাংকে ডাকাতি (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 5 April 2024.
  29. ↑ ব্যাংক ডাকাতি (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 5 April 2024.
  30. ↑ পাহাড় জনপদে আতঙ্কের ঢেউ. Bhorer Kagoj (in Bengali). 5 April 2024. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  31. ↑ Sakib, Musanna (5 April 2024). ব্যাংক ম্যানেজারকে ছাড়তে ২০ লাখ টাকা মুক্তিপণ চায় কুকি-চিন: র‍্যাব. Arthosuchak (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  32. ↑ "Sonali Bank manager released as Tk15 lakh ransom paid to KNF". The Business Standard. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  33. ↑ "Bandarban raids: Police arrest man associated with KNF". Dhaka Tribune . 10 April 2024. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024.
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