Chin Armed Group Ousts Leader Over Secret Talks With Myanmar Junta

The Chin National Organization/Chin National Defence Force (CNO/CNDF) has dismissed its chairman after he held unauthorized talks with representatives of the Myanmar military junta in New Delhi, India, the group’s spokesperson confirmed.,The secret meeting came to light on July 31 when junta chief Min Aung Hlaing publicly named the CNO/CNDF among 13 armed groups with which its peace negotiation body, the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC), had engaged in discussions with.,Following an internal investigation, the CNO Central Council approved the chairman’s resignation and formal dismissal on August 3.,“The chairman is the Commander-in-Chief, who holds ultimate responsibility for the organization’s overall policy. Because he is accountable for this meeting as well as other policy matters, our organization took action to dismiss him,” CNO/CNDF spokesperson Salai Tin Mi Htut told Mizzima.,In an official statement released late on August 3, the CNO emphasized that the chairperson and accompanying officials acted entirely on their own initiative without the knowledge, authorization, or approval of the group's leadership bodies, including its Central Executive Committee and Defence Council.,The organization stressed that any discussions held in New Delhi do not reflect CNO policy and that no political or military agreements were reached.,“The CNO will not engage in unilateral talks or political negotiations with the junta without the consensus and collective decision of our allies, including the Chin Brotherhood, the Interim Chin National Consultative Council (ICNCC), and allied revolutionary forces,” the statement read.,However, the meeting drew mixed reactions locally. On August 3, the Falam Clan Guardians Association issued a statement supporting the dialogue, arguing that direct talks could facilitate regional rehabilitation and allow displaced residents to return home safely.,Founded in April 2021 following the military coup, the CNO/CNDF is a key anti-junta resistance group operating primarily in northern Chin State’s Falam Township and the adjacent Kalay-Kabaw region in Sagaing.