- A purported letter from the Khumi National Democratic Party (KNDP), addressed to Mizoram Chief Minister requested support for establishing a Khumi National Army (KNA) training camp in the border area of Lawngtlai.
- Lawngtlai, one of Mizoram’s three districts bordering Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), along with Lunglei and Mamit, is strategically significant.
- The Khumi people, also known as Khami or Kami, number fewer than 5,000 in CHT but have over 1 lakh members in Myanmar.
- Historically, indigenous peoples, including the Chakmas in the 1960s and the Kuki-Chin people in November 2022, have fled persecution in Bangladesh and sought refuge in Mizoram.
- Both the Khumi and Kuki-Chin people belong to the Zo ethnic group, which includes the dominant Mizos of Mizoram.
- Myanmar-based insurgent groups also held meetings in Aizawl and other parts of the state, allegedly facilitated by some civil society organisations.
Dig Deeper: Read about various ethnic tribes divided between India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
