Zomi Revolutionary Army

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Zomi Revolutionary Army
ဇိုမီး လွတ်လပ်ရေး တပ်မတော်
Participant in the Internal conflict in Myanmar and the Insurgency in Northeast India
Zomi Revolutionary Army Flag.png
Flag of the Zomi Revolutionary Army
Active April 1993 (1993-04)–present
Ideology Zomi interests
Zomi nationalism
Groups Zomi Revolutionary Organisation
Leaders Thanglianpau Guite
D. Kamsuanthang
Jimmy Suanpu
Headquarters Mobile headquarters
Area of operations Zogam (Zoland)
Allies Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup

Kuki Liberation Organisation

National Socialist Council of Nagaland
Opponents Bangladesh Government of Bangladesh

India Government of India

Myanmar Government of Myanmar
Battles and wars Internal conflict in Myanmar

The Zomi Revolutionary Army (Burmese: ဇိုမီး လွတ်လပ်ရေး တပ်မတော်), is an insurgent group formed in April 1993 in Kachin State (Phapian), Myanmar (Burma).[1] It is the armed wing of the Zomi Revolutionary Organization (ZRO). Pu K Guite, a Zomi leader from the Karbi Anglong district (Mikir Hills of Assam), is the founding president of the organization. It is one of the most influential groups operating in the Indian state of Manipur.

Leadership

The ZRA has three main leadership positions: president, general secretary, and information and publicity secretary.[2]

  • President: Thanglianpau Guite
  • General secretary: D. Kamsuanthang
  • Information and publicity secretary: Jimmy Suanpu

Objective

The ZRA is a nationalist/separatist group dedicated to the defense of Zomis and the reunification of ethnic Zomi people in Myanmar (Chin State), Bangladesh (Chittagong Hill Tracts), and northeast India (Manipur and Mizoram). It aims to unite all Zomi people under one governing unit — known as a Zogam, meaning "land of the Zomi" — under the Indian Union.[3][4]

Areas of operation

The ZRA mainly conducts operations in Paite-dominated areas of Churachandpur district in Manipur, particularly the Singnat subdivision near Myanmar. Historically, it has also operated in the bordering regions of Mizoram and Manipur.[3]

Funding

The ZRA funds itself mainly through extortion and collection of "protection fees" from civilians who live in its areas of operations. In exchange for this fee, ZRA militants protect travelers from being shot, kidnapped, or robbed by rival groups. In June 2004, ZRA militants alleged that the Mizo National Front (MNF) government in Mizoram had only partially paid the group for campaigning on behalf of MNF candidates in Champhai. Opposition leader Lal Thanhawla alleged that the MNF owed the ZRA payment for these services and that, because the MNF had failed to pay, the ZRA would begin collecting fees from residents of Mizoram.[2]

Links to other terrorist groups

The ZRA's main ties are with two other groups: Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland. It has a memorandum of understanding with the Kuki Liberation Organization that promises "full cooperation in all spheres with the objective of strengthening the blood ties among the Kuki-Chin-Mizo-Zomi people".[3] The ZRA was once in conflict with the Hmar People's Convention-Democracy, 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".[2]

Notable incidents

June 9, 2005: ZRA cadres ambushed a truck in Churachandpur carrying Zomi Revolutionary Front (ZRF) militants, killing three ZRF men and one civilian. This attack was in retaliation for the ZRF's defection from the ZRA.[5]

September 20, 2005: ZRA militants clashed with Zomi Revolutionary Front forces, killing six men; one ZRA activist was also injured.[6]

August 20, 2006: The Indian Army killed two civilians and injured four others when they opened fire on a party of churchgoers at Vengnuam in Churachandpur, the ZRA's stronghold, believing incorrectly that ZRA members were present.[7]

January 15, 2010: Two ZRA militants died in a clash with members of the Revolutionary People's Front, the armed wing of the People's Liberation Army in interior Manipur.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ [1][dead link]
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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