In a recent collaborative effort between Bangladesh and India, both nations have come together to tackle an escalating issue of armed infiltration by Kuki militants into the unsettled state of Mizoram in the northeast of India, where they are entering as refugees.

This issue has emerged as a significant security concern for both countries. It is a grave matter that has necessitated the combined efforts of the governments of Dhaka and Delhi, with both actively sharing intelligence reports and engaging in information gathering from local sources and news outlets. This proactive approach is aimed at addressing and overcoming the rising security challenges that have been provoked by this alarming development. Such an unprecedented event has caused considerable concern among the highest echelons of authority in both nations.

In the midst of this rising tide of insurgency, the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), a militant group, has found itself involved in numerous clashes with both the Bangladesh Army and the elite crime-fighting force known as the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). These confrontations have resulted in significant casualties on both sides. Several soldiers, including a high-ranking officer from the Bangladesh Army, were killed in these skirmishes, and many others were severely injured. On the other hand, the Bangladesh Army and RAB were able to inflict considerable damage on the KNA combatants.

Numerous sources from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), a region known for its dense and remote hill-forest terrain, have reported that armed Kuki guerillas have scattered and shifted their bases to these difficult-to-reach areas. This complicates the efforts to conduct effective anti-insurgency operations due to the challenging nature of the terrain.

Previously, last year, a successful joint operation conducted by the security forces resulted in the decimation of the KNA's headquarters and secret training locations. Those who were part of this operation, wishing to remain anonymous, revealed that the militants are currently taking refuge in a lawless region on the border of CHT and Mizoram, which lies along the international border of Bangladesh and India.

This militant activity has resulted in significant displacement of people. Hundreds of Kukis and other communities living in the hill tracts have been forced to leave their homes as a result of the heavy artillery bombardment by the military, aimed at dislodging the KNF militants from their hideouts. Consequently, the neighbouring state of Mizoram has become a haven for these displaced individuals who are now categorized as refugees.

Parallelly, the Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force (BSF), who are responsible for guarding India's borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, have issued red alerts following two disconcerting incidents. The first of these was reported by the Times of India on July 29, indicating that KNA militants, masquerading as refugees, have managed to enter Mizoram but were subsequently apprehended. These refugees, originally from Myanmar and Bangladesh and now residing in Mizoram, were given temporary identification cards detailing their name, place of origin and current address.

The Central Young Lai Association (CYLA), a Mizoram-based NGO, highlighted these incidents in a statement, expressing concerns over the likelihood of militants sneaking into Mizoram under the guise of refugees and indulging in illegal activities such as arms smuggling and training in Indian territory. The second alarming incident was a detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) in a forest in the Lawngtlai district last month.

This growing concern has been further exacerbated by a revelation. KNA, the militant group, is reportedly in league with an obscure Islamist terror group known as Jamaa'tul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya. This partnership, confirmed by the Assam Rifles, is believed to be aimed at establishing a functional base for these organizations in CHT. This alliance is also said to have played a role in the testing of the IED used against Bangladeshi security forces, a development that has set off alarm bells in Indian security agencies, who fear that Mizoram could be utilized as a launchpad for attacks against Bangladesh's security forces.

On March 24, 2022, six members of the KNA were apprehended by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) at the Mizoram border. These individuals revealed that they were residents of the Bandarban district of Ruma Upazila and were detained while attempting to enter India through the Longtalai district of Mizoram, located on the tri-border area of India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. The identities of these arrested individuals were later revealed in the 'Rauthla,' a Mizoram-based daily newspaper, published on March 28, 2022.

Seasoned military officers of the Bangladesh Army, who have had experience operating in the challenging terrains of the CHT, have emphasized the difficulties associated with patrolling and raiding hideouts during the monsoon season. They revealed that the military is gearing up for another round of operations against the KNF, provided the latter does not surrender within the next three months.

Brigadier General Bayezid Sarwar and Major Nasim Hossain, both having penned insightful articles in prominent national newspapers on the Kuki-Chin insurgency, shared their views on the subject with this reporter. They expressed their belief that the security issue in CHT has created a new set of challenges for the security forces in their efforts to curb militancy.

Sadly, while this is going on, the politicians and government officials, particularly the civil bureaucrats in the secretariat, seem unperturbed, according to retired Major Khandakar Badrul Ahsan, who was at the helm during the peak of anti-insurgency "Headmasters Operation" against the guerrillas seeking autonomy in the 1980s.

The KNF is currently led by a young sculptor, Nathan Loncheu Bawn, from the ethnic Bawn community. Bawn was previously an active member of the pro-peace deal CHT Students Council (Pahari Chattra Parishad). He later decided to leave politics and founded the Kuki-Chin National Development Organisation (KNDO), a non-governmental organization, in 2008, which reportedly received support from the Brigade Headquarters at Ruma Cantonment of the Bangladesh Army.

The leaders of the KNDO claim that they regard the Bawm, Lusai, Pangkho, Khyang, Khumi, and Mro ethnic groups from the CHT as Zo people and have positioned themselves as a formal political organization fighting for the rights of the Zo people.

In 2015, the KNDO called for government intervention in improving the living standards of the Zo people in the CHT and sought the allocation of a separate budget for the Zo people. They also demanded the recognition of the Zo people, who inhabit nine upazilas (sub-districts) of the three hill districts, as the Kuki-Chin states.

The Bawm community in Bandarban is one of the 11 ethnic groups in Bangladesh, with a population of nearly 12,000 people. The majority of the Bawn have converted to Christianity from animist, and speak in their local dialect.

During Bawn's tenure with the NGO, the KNDO morphed into a political organization called the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) in 2019. Bawn began recruiting youth to join the KNA, which is also widely known as the Bawm Party.

The KNF aims to establish a separate autonomous state for the Bawm people across nine upazilas (sub-districts) of the Rangamati, Bandarban, and Khagrachari districts of CHT. These districts are home to diverse ethnic groups who, like the Bawm, have distinct languages, cultures, and traditions.

The Bawn community, being minority in the region, has long felt marginalized and has had grievances against the central government. These concerns are the result of economic disparities, cultural erosion, and the belief that their traditional lands are being encroached upon. It's against this backdrop that Nathan Bawn and the KNF have found support for their cause.

As of now, the efforts of both the Indian and Bangladeshi governments continue unabated. Their forces are working collaboratively to curb this insurgency and restore peace in the region. The recent developments, the alliances with other militant groups, and the increasing number of refugees have added further complexity to an already convoluted situation. However, the authorities remain committed to resolving these issues and achieving peace and stability in the region.

The incidents revolving around the Kuki-Chin insurgency and the response from Bangladesh and India serve as a clear example of the intricate web of security, regional politics, and ethnic relations in the region. How these complexities are handled will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications for the peace and stability of not just the CHT region, but the entire northeastern part of India and beyond.