Chin National Front

The Chin National Front (Burmese: ချင်းအမျိုးသားတပ်ဦး; CNF) is a Chin nationalist party in Myanmar (Burma). Its armed wing, the Chin National Army (CNA), has fought the government of Myanmar since its founding on 20 March 1988.^[1][2] The group advocates for the rights, freedoms, and the self-determination of the Chin people.

History

The Chin National Front was founded on 20 March 1988, and was dedicated to securing the self-determination of the Chin people and to establish a federal system in Myanmar based on democracy and freedom. The Chin National Front believes in overthrowing the military regime and establishing the liberties of freedom, justice, and equality.

In 2012, the group signed a ceasefire agreement with the government; which, as of November 2015, is still in effect.

Platform and connections

The Chin National Front stated that they:^[3]

• are not based on a class of people, a religious belief, a region or an ideology but is working for implementation of the ideal of the Chin people. The Chin National Front welcomes and invites any nation, state, organization, and individuals to join in the effort to restore democracy, freedom and federalism in the Union of Burma.

• are a member of the National Democratic Front (NDF), composed of non-Burman nationalities, which was formed in 1976 with the aim to establish a federal union that suits the ideals of the nationalities and practices a democratic system based on equality and self-determination. The Chin National Front is one of the members and is actively involving in the implementation of the NDF’s aims and objectives.

• are a member of the Democratic Alliance of Burma, which aims to restore democracy, freedom, and establish federal union. the Democratic Alliance of Burma was formed on November 14, 1988 by 18 democratic forces.

• are a member of the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB). The NCUB is an alliance of the National Democratic Front, Democratic Alliance of Burma, National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, and National League for Democracy (Liberated Area), was formed in 1992 with the aims to restore democracy, freedom, and establish genuine federal union. NUCB is a member of Council of Asian Liberals and Democrat.

• are a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), which is a democratic, international membership organization. Its members are indigenous peoples, occupied nations, minorities and independent states or territories who have joined together to protect their human and cultural rights, preserve their environments, and to find non-violent solutions to conflicts which affect them. UNPO provides a legitimate and established international forum for member aspirations and assists its members in effective participation at an international level.

• became a signatory of the Geneva Call by signing Deed of Commitment on July 31, 2006. Geneva Call is an international humanitarian organization dedicated to engaging armed none-state actors in mine-ban action. It provides a mechanism, complementary to the Convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and on their destruction (the Ottawa Convention), which can only be signed by State actors.

• are the military wing of the Chin National Front. The Chin National Army strictly applies modified “Geneva Military Code of Conduct” and other international military norms and codes. The Chin National Army provides security for the Chin National Front to implement restoration of democracy, Chin self-determination, and establishment of federal union of Burma to end ethnopolitical conflict and constitutional crisis in the Union of Burma.

See also

• Internal conflict in Myanmar
• List of rebel groups in Myanmar

References