The Chinland Defense Force (; abbreviated: CDF) is a rebel group in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. It was formed in response to the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's milita ...

to protect

Chin State Chin State (, ) is a state in western Myanmar. Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, the Chattogram Division of Bangladesh to the west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to th ...

from the

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

. The CDF claims that they do not attack the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

without cause and that they always issue a warning, such as releasing detainees and refraining from using violence against civilians. If the military does not respond, guerrilla or other action follows. They promise to return their weapons and disband if the

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

is successful. CDFs are members of CJDC (Chinland Joint Defense Committee). Chinland Joint Defense Committee (CJDC) is formed to serve Chin people's security services and protect an enemy from the illegal Myanmar Army. The total strength of active personnel under the command of CJDC is approximated to be around 15,000. From August to October 2021, it was reported that at least 40 clashes occurred between junta troops and CDF in various townships. CJDC claimed that at least 1,029

Tatmadaw The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include ...

soldiers were killed in the clashes and lost 58 of their own in 2021.

History

Following the February 2021 coup in Myanmar, many

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

occurred against the new military junta. Coup opponents peacefully protested by banging pots and pans at night and staging online and offline strikes. The Military Council responded harshly using violence to quell the protests, arresting citizens and torching homes. Civilian militias began to spring up throughout the country to oppose the coup and to ensure the safety of their own areas. Two ethnic armed organizations operated in

, the

Chin National Front The Chin National Front (; CNF) is a Chin people, Chin Nationalism, nationalist political organization in Myanmar. According to its website, its armed wing, the Chin National Army (CNA), fights the government of Myanmar. The group was founded on 20 ...

Chin National Army The Chin National Army (; abbreviated CNA) is a Chin ethnic armed organisation in Myanmar (Burma). It is the armed wing of the Chin National Front (CNF), and was founded on 20 March 1988 alongside it. The CNA signed a ceasefire agreement with ...

and the

Zomi Revolutionary Army The Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) is a Zomi nationalist militant group formed in 1997, following an increase in ethnic tensions between the Thadou-Kuki people and the Paite people in Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. Its parent organi ...

. However, the groups were unable to properly reach and safeguard the Chin townships, prompting the formation of the Chinland Defense Force on 4 April 2021.

Chin Infighting

On 31 January 2024, the CDF-

Mara Mara or MARA may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Mara (''Doctor Who''), an evil being in two ''Doctor Who'' serials * Mara (She-Ra), fictional characters from the ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'' and ''The New Advent ...

, CDF-

Paletwa Paletwa (, ) is one of the westernmost towns of Myanmar, in Chin State, 18 kilometres from the border with Bangladesh. On the other side of the border, lies Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. Paletwa town's population was about 97,000 in 2014. Th ...

, CDF-

Thantlang Thantlang (, ; also Thlantlang or Htantlang in Burmese transliteration) is a town and the administrative center of Thantlang Township in Chin State, western Myanmar (formerly Burma). Names Thantlang was formerly known as Thlan Tlang ("Cemeter ...

, CDF–Zophei, CDF-Lautu, and CDF–Senthang, alongside the

(CNA), launched an offensive on

Chin Brotherhood Alliance The Chin Brotherhood (CB) is a military and political alliance between several ethnic armed organisations active in Chin State, Myanmar. Formed on 30 December 2023 during the Myanmar civil war, the claimed goal of the alliance is to foster colla ...

member the Maraland Defence Force after the MDF reportedly killed a CNA soldier and detained several CDF-Mara soldiers.

Goals

The Chinland Defense Force's stated goals are to protect civilians from the ruling military junta, abolition of the

2008 Constitution of Myanmar The Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008) is the third Constitution of Myanmar after 1947 and 1974 constitutions which lost force after military coups. It is part of the seven steps road map announced by then Prime Minis ...

, an end to military rule, and the establishment of a

federal union A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing status of the co ...

Weapons

The Chinland Defense Force has used small arms such as the M-16, AK (Kalashnikov), MA-1 and Tu Mee hunting rifles. International importers bring M-16s and AK-47 rifles into Myanmar.

References

{{Insurgent groups in Myanmar Chin State Ethnic armed organisations in Myanmar Rebel groups in Myanmar 2021 establishments in Myanmar