UKHRUL, NOV 23: The Kuki Liberation Army–Letkholun (KLA-L) has raised a grave concern, alleging that the ongoing border demarcations and fencing by India, Bangladesh and Myanmar are tearing apart the Chin-Kuki-Mizo people and disrupting their ancestral way of life.
In a statement issued, KLA-L said the international borders were drawn without the consent of the indigenous population, splitting their ancestral homeland and violating their rights guaranteed under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
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The group noted that the Indo-Myanmar border fencing has deepened the divide, separating families, weakening cultural bonds and disturbing traditional governance systems. It pointed out that villages such as Jangoubung, Bongmol, Ch. Tengnoupal, Chanjang, Gangpijang, J. Munnom, Motha, H. Munnom, Haolenphai, Leijangphai and Lhangcham, long held under customary tenure and governed by village chiefs, now fall under different national jurisdictions, forcing residents to deal with confusing citizenship requirements and strict border regulations.
According to KLA-L, the situation has had ripple effects on social cohesion, daily livelihood and identity, cutting through communities that once lived as one. It further claimed that the division potentially violates international human rights norms under Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects cultural rights, and Article 17, which prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy and family.
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Calling the situation “urgent and deeply damaging,” the organisation demanded an immediate halt to the border-fencing project and meaningful engagement with the Chin-Kuki-Mizo community. It warned that ignoring these concerns could trigger further conflict, destabilise the region and permanently undermine the legitimacy of the border demarcations.