Myanmar Rebels Seize Control of Border Point with India After Confrontation with Junta

Rebel forces in Myanmar's Chin state seized control of a border crossing point into India just two days after overrunning two junta military bases near the India-Myanmar border. The crossing, situated in the hilly Indian state of Mizoram, has become a focal point in the conflict.

Following intense fighting between rebel forces and the Myanmar military, nearly 5,000 Myanmar nationals who sought refuge in India have reportedly returned home as the situation stabilized, according to local leaders.

The rebel forces express their intention to gain control over a section of the porous border with India.

Myanmar's military junta faces a significant challenge as ethnic minority forces launched a coordinated offensive, named "Operation 1027," capturing towns and military posts since late October. The offensive initially targeted junta-controlled areas on the China border in Shan State, leading to the loss of control over several towns and more than 100 security outposts.

While calm returned to the Indo-Myanmar border area on Wednesday, air raid sirens from the Myanmar side warned residents in India's Zokhawthar village of potential military strikes.

At the Zokhawthar border crossing, adorned with the Chin flag, India's paramilitary Assam Rifle and armed rebels on the Myanmar side guarded the border bridge over the Tiau river. The bridge remained open for crossing on Wednesday.

A representative from the Chinland Defence Force group mentioned plans to safeguard the border alongside other rebel groups, including the People’s Defence Force and the Chin National Army. Additional strategic locations nearby will also be protected.

Ramtharnghaka, President of the local Zokhawthar chapter of the civil society group Young Mizo Association, confirmed that most Myanmar nationals who sought refuge in India have returned, with some temporarily staying in community halls or with friends and relatives.

Notably, 43 Myanmar soldiers fled the attacks near Zokhawthar on Monday, seeking refuge in India. Indian authorities eventually repatriated most of them by flying them to another border crossing point a few hundred kilometers east.