Zomi Revolutionary Army

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zomi Revolutionary Army
LeadersThanglianpau Guite
Dates of operation1997 (1997)–present
HeadquartersChurachandpur, Manipur, India
IdeologyZomi Nationalism
AlliesState-allies:

No one

Non-state allies:

OpponentsNon-state opponents:
Battles and warsInternal conflict in Myanmar Insurgency in Northeast India

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 (i.e. the Thadou) and the Paites tribe in Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. Its parent organisation, the Zomi Re-unification Organisation, was founded in April 1993.[3]

Background[edit]

The Zo identity for the Kuki-Chin language speaking people spread across Northeast India and Myanmar's Chin State began to take form soon after World War II. The people of the then Lushai Hills district in India (present-day Mizoram) rallied behind a "Mizo" (meaning "Zo people") identity in 1946.[4] In 1953, the Baptist Associations of Tedim, Falam and Hakha in Myanmar's Chin State adopted Zomi ("Zo people") as their "national" name (subsuming the various tribal identities), after a careful discussion of nomenclature.[5] In India's Manipur state, T. Gougin formed a "United Zomi Organisation" in 1961 and "Zomi National Congress" in 1972.[6] The final step in these Zomi nationalist movement was taken in April 1993, when a Zomi Re-unification Organisation (ZRO) was formed at Phapian in Kachin State of Myanmar, with the professed objective of unifying all the Kuki-Zo people divided across national borders (India, Myanmar and Bangladesh) under a united "Zomi" identity.[7]

With these antecedents, seven Kuki-Zo tribes of Churachandpur district in Manipur, that had previously declined to accept a "Kuki" identity, agreed to come under the banner of Zomi Re-unification Organsiation in 1995. The seven tribes were Hmar, Zou, Vaiphei, Gangte, Simte, Sukte (Tedim Chins) and Paite, with the Paites leading the collection.[8][9] Its formation day is said to be observed on 20 February every year as Zomi Nam Ni.[8] The organisation also formed an underground military wing called Zomi Revolutionary Army (or "Zomi Re-unification Army")[10] ostensibly to defend the tribes under its umbrella from rival tribes, mainly the Thadou Kukis.[8]

Leadership[edit]

The ZRA has three main leadership positions, President, General Secretary, and Information and Publicity Secretary. Most of its leadership are from the Zomi community.

Areas of operation[edit]

The ZRA mainly conducts operations in the Paite, Simte, Vaiphei, Zou, Mizo, Chin, Gangte, Thadou and other tribes under the Zo umbrella majority areas of the Churachandpur district in Manipur and other districts in Manipur, particularly the Singngat subdivision near Myanmar (Burma). Their main operation areas includes bordering regions of Manipur and Mizoram.[3] It is also believed to operate in Chin State, Myanmar (Burma).[citation needed]

Funding[edit]

The ZRA allegedly funds itself through the collection of "protection fees" from locals who live in their areas of operations. In exchange for this fee, the ZRA claims they protect locals from being shot, kidnapped, or robbed by rival groups.[3] In June 2004, according to local media reports, the ZRA accused the Mizo National Front (MNF) administration in Mizoram of only partially paying ZRA cadres for campaigning on behalf of MNF candidates in Champhai. A prominent opposition leader in Mizoram, Lal Thanhawla, claimed that on 12 June 2004, the MNF owed the ZRA payment for "services rendered", and that, because the MNF had failed to pay, the ZRA had begun collecting fees from residents of Mizoram.[3][11]

Alliances with other groups[edit]

The ZRA's maintains close alliances with the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM). The group also has a memorandum of understanding with the Kuki Liberation Organization (KLO) that promises "full cooperation in all spheres, with the objective of strengthening the blood ties among the Kuki-Chin-Mizo/Zomi peoples".[3] The ZRA was once in conflict with the Hmar People's Convention-Democracy (HPC-D), but the two groups reached an agreement to "work closely in the spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation for the welfare of the people and for achieving their shared objectives".[11]

In 2019, ZRO was reported to be part of United People's Front, an umbrella group of six or seven ethnic organisations with armed wings which were formed in the 1990s.[12]

Peace negotiations[edit]

On 9 August 2005, the ZRA released a statement, saying that they had reached a ceasefire agreement with the Indian government, which was to last for six months starting from 1 August. The ZRA also said that they had "viewed the steps taken by the Indian government in this regard as a positive approach towards the better understanding of our unique history, and the realisation of the need for a permanent solution to the long standing aspirations of the Zomi people". In spite of this agreement, the Indian security forces allegedly conducted operations against ZRA during the ceasefire.[3]

Myanmar Civil war[edit]

Raiding on Chin resistance camps[edit]

In late August and early September 2023, the Chinland Defense Force claimed that two of their soilders were killed after the ZRA attacked bases in Tonzang Township. During the first raid, the CDF was greatly outnumbered, and military equipment was seized.

“ Most of the CDF fighters were able to escape with their own guns. But we weren’t able to take the more important drones, heavy guns, and artillery shells,” CDF general secretary Thang Suan Mung told the Burmese News site 𝘔𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘮𝘢𝘳 𝘕𝘰𝘸.

Another camp was raided the following week, killing one CDF fighter, and confiscating one rifle.

The ZRA had also raided camps of the Chin resistance force, a CDF ally, at least three times.[13]

Notable incidents[edit]

  • On 9 June 2005, ZRA insurgents ambushed a truck in Churachandpur district carrying Zomi Revolutionary Front (ZRF) insurgents, killing three ZRF members and one civilian. This attack was in retaliation for the ZRF's defection from the ZRA.[14]
  • On 20 September 2005, ZRA insurgents clashed with other insurgents belonging to the Zomi Revolutionary Front, resulting in six deaths; one ZRA activist was also injured.[15]
  • On 20 August 2006, two civilians were killed and four others were injured after Indian security forces opened fire on a group of churchgoers in the Vengnuam subdivision of Churachandpur, the ZRA's stronghold, believing incorrectly that ZRA members were present.[16]
  • On 10 January 2010, three ZRA insurgents were killed in a clash with insurgents belonging to the People's Liberation Army of Manipur, in Tonzang Township, Chin State. one member of PLA was also eliminated. [citation needed]
  • On 15 January 2010, two ZRA insurgents were killed in a clash with insurgents belonging the Revolutionary People's Front, the armed faction of the People's Liberation Army of Manipur operating in interior Manipur.[17]
  • Between August and September 2023, ZRA cadres raided Chinland Defense Force camps in Myanmar.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Chin National Front Signs Deal with Myanmar's Shadow Govt". The Irrawaddy. 29 May 2021. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Paul Lu: ZRO/ZRA Has Abducted And Killed Our CJDC Members". Burma News International. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Zomi Revolutionary Organisation / Zomi Revolutionary Army". satp.org. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  4. ^ Suan, Rethinking 'tribe' identities (2011), p. 176.
  5. ^ Go, Zo Chronicles (2008), pp. 185–187.
  6. ^ Zou, A Historical Study of the 'Zo' Struggle (2010), p. 61.
  7. ^ Suan, Rethinking 'tribe' identities (2011), p. 180.
  8. ^ a b c Haokip, The Kuki-Paite Conflict (2007), p. 191.
  9. ^ Suan, Rethinking 'tribe' identities (2011), pp. 180–181.
  10. ^ Rammohan, Blueprint for Counterinsurgency in Manipur (2002).
  11. ^ a b "Fact Sheet for Zomi Revolutionary Organisation - Silobreaker". Silobreaker.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  12. ^ Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, ZRO President’s Letter to Amit Shah Points to Nexus Between Armed Groups, Political Parties, The Wire, 8 April 2019.
  13. ^ https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/india-based-zomi-armed-group-raids-chin-resistance-camps-in-northwestern-myanmar/
  14. ^ [1] Archived 29 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "BBC News - South Asia - ambush kills nine Indian soldiers". News.bbc.co.uk. 20 September 2005. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  16. ^ "CZC flays CCpur Church attack : 29th aug06 ~ E-Pao! Headlines". E-pao.net. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  17. ^ "news.outlookindia.com - Two militants killed in Manipur". News.outlookindia.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  18. ^ India-based Zomi armed group raids Chin resistance camps in northwestern Myanmar. Myanmar Now. September 14, 2023. Archived February 8, 2024, at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zomi_Revolutionary_Army&oldid=1222687025"