Unexpected help arrives for KNF, says Brigadier general (retired) M S Hossain

Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, a security expert, has stated that the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) has successfully expanded its influence in the Chin and Rakhine states of Myanmar and also in the Mizoram and Manipur states of India, which has led to its emergence in Bangladesh.

Kuki-Chin exerts a significant influence in these regions. The National Defence Force [NDF] in Chin State is engaged in combat against the government of Myanmar.

The majority of the NDF members are of Kuki-Chin ethnicity. A significant number of Kukis have migrated to Mizoram from this location. The former army officer, who previously served in the Chattogram Hill Tracts region, informed The Daily Star that unrest was also due to this problem.

Significant conflicts are occurring in Manipur between the Meitei and the Kuki communities. The Kuki-Chin's migration and operations over the border resulted in the establishment and mobilization of the KNF in this area.

Brig Gen (retd) Hossain said that KNF receives weaponry and assistance from that source.

According to him, drugs become present throughout each armed conflict, and he further explained that the illegal drug trade primarily serves as a source of income to acquire weapons.

The Kuki-Chin community is now advocating for autonomy over a significant region of Bandarban.

However, they have yet to mention the territories held by the Kuki-Chin people on the other side of the border about this matter.

The distance between Ruma, Thanchi, and Alikadam is considerable. The recent assaults in these three upazilas in quick succession suggest that members of the KNF organization organized themselves into many units and executed the attacks with careful planning.

According to his observation, their display of power suggests their intention to transform the region into a battleground.

According to reports, he said the Kachin Independent Army trains the KNF. He proposed assigning the Bangladesh Army the responsibility of combating insurgency since the police and Rab lacks sufficient training.

Commander Khandaker Al Moin, who oversees RAB's legal and media division, said that they currently lack verified information on the bank robberies and firearm thefts committed by the KNF on April 2-3. This is because they have not yet apprehended any armed group members.

He noted that two primary motives might drive KNF's illegal operations: first, to acquire finances, weapons, and ammunition, and second, to demonstrate its might as an armed organization to its followers and competing factions in the hill regions.

Colonel Solomon, the commander of KNF's media and intelligence wing, said on the group's verified Facebook page that they carried out the latest assaults because the peace committee had breached the conditions of the agreement agreed between KNF and the committee.

WHO ARE KNF?

The name of the new armed organisation, KNF, came to light in early 2022.

It has been discovered that a faction of individuals belonging to the Bawm ethnic minority in Bandarban has established a group.

The organisation gained prominence by establishing a Facebook page where they advocated for creating an independent state consisting of nine upazilas from Bandarban and Rangamati.

The upazilas in Rangamati are Baghaichhari, Barkal, Jurachhari, and Bilaichhari. In Bandarban, the upazilas are Rowangchhari, Ruma, Thanchi, Lama, and Alikadam.

They claim to represent six distinct ethnic groups: Bawm, Pankhowa, Lusai, Khyang, Mro, and Khumi.

In several declarations disseminated on social media, the KNF declared the establishment of an armed faction known as the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA).

Furthermore, they said that around 100 individuals from their military faction relocated to Myanmar's Kachin area to undergo guerrilla training three years ago.

In 2021, a group of individuals who had received specialised training returned to Bangladesh. In 2022, these individuals went into hiding.

Nathan Bawm, who hails from Aden Para in Ruma upazila of Bandarban, is the leader of this outfit.

Nathan Bawm, a Dhaka University Fine Arts Department alumnus, established the Kuki-Chin National Development Organization (KNDO), a non-governmental organization, in 2008 in his locality.

Sources within the Bawm community have reported that the KNF changed its name in 2019.