Fled the war, but now they starve. Hundreds of Bawm families return to ruin from India's Mizoram

After a year in exile in India’s Mizoram state, 70-year-old Damun Bawm and his family returned to Bangladesh hoping to reclaim their lives. But back in Bandarban’s remote hills, he found no home to return to -- only hunger and uncertainty.

“I couldn’t even step into my old home,” said Damun, who fled fighting between the armed Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) and Bangladeshi security forces in Rowangchhari Upazila on May 23 last year.

He is now living in his daughter’s in-laws’ house.

Damun is among nearly 300 displaced Bawm families who have returned in recent months from hiding in forests and refugee camps in Mizoram, according to the Bawm Social Council.

Many of them fled as early as late 2022 or early 2023, fearing for their lives amid escalating conflict.

The council’s president, Lal Zar Lawm Bawm, told bdnews24.com that it was difficult to determine the exact number of returnees in each village due to poor mobile connectivity in many remote areas.

“But roughly 300 families have come back,” he said. “Some fled into the jungle, some crossed into Mizoram. Now both groups are slowly returning.”

The return process has been facilitated directly by the Bangladesh Army, which has provided assistance and oversight, especially in the most affected areas.

In a media statement issued on Jun 27, the Bandarban Army Region confirmed that 122 Bawm families had returned safely to their villages in Ruma upazila.

The statement added, “This repatriation is not just a rehabilitation process but a significant step towards long-term peace and coexistence in the hill tracts.”

HOW MANY FLED?

The KNF insurgency forced waves of Bawm villagers to abandon their homes, beginning in late 2022. International media reports at the time estimated that around 500 Bawm individuals had crossed into India.

Though some families returned earlier, the situation deteriorated again in April 2024, when back-to-back bank heists in Ruma and Thanchi Upazilas raised tensions.

On Apr 2, armed robbers looted a Sonali Bank branch in Ruma. The next day, they struck Sonali and Krishi Bank branches in Thanchi.

Law-enforcing agencies identified the assailants as KNF fighters, also known locally as the “Bawm Party”.

These incidents prompted a sweeping crackdown by joint forces, including mass arrests, travel restrictions, and limitations on access to food -- adding new pressures on locals, particularly the Bawm.

In the months that followed, more Bawm families reportedly fled their villages.

On Jan 2 this year, Reverend Paksim Bawm, a Christian priest and community leader, told a rally in Bandarban that around 3,000 Bawm people had taken refuge in Mizoram.

“Nine Bawm villages are now completely deserted,” he said, listing eight such villages in Bandarban and one in Rangamati.

He also claimed that some of the Bawm who fled through India were detained by Myanmar’s Arakan Army along the way.

According to the Bawm Social Council, returnees have come back to multiple villages across several Upazilas: Gethsemane Para in Bandarban Sadar, Paikhyong Para in Rowangchhari, Jurvarang Para, Eden Para, Bethel Para, Happy Hill Para, Darjeeling Para, Fakshyong Para, and Susong Para in Ruma, and Singtlangpi and Prata Para in Thanchi.

There may be additional villages not yet accounted for.

ROWANGCHHARI TO MIZORAM: 6-DAY TRIP

Before fleeing, Damun worked in jum farming and tended orchards near his home in Paikhyong Para. With his three daughters married off, he lived with his 18-year-old son.

He described a harrowing escape through dense forest, streams, and steep hills.

“On May 13, four families from our village and several others from neighbouring areas -- 14 or 15 families in total -- set off for Mizoram. We arrived six days later,” he said.

“We carried rice and cooking pots, stopping to cook meals wherever we could at night. Sometimes we survived on wild fruits and vegetables.”

After a year, it was the Bawm Social Council and the military who contacted them in Mizoram with offers of safe return.

“They assured us it was safe, so two families decided to come back,” said Damun. “We returned via Rangamati and arrived in Bandarban on Jun 21. The rest are still there.”

What he found upon returning shocked him.

“Our home is broken, nothing is in order. We don’t even have a place to stay. We’re living in my daughter’s house in another village now. First, we’ll need to rebuild and find food before we can move back.”

Damun says he has reported their condition to the district council and the Army via the Bawm Social Council.

FROM PREACHER TO DAY LABOURER

The return has not been easy for others either. Pastor Lalmunlian Bawm of Happy Hill Para, who fled in July 2024, came back in March with four other families. But life has changed drastically.

“I used to be a pastor, now I’m a day labourer,” he said. “There’s no food at home, no money. I survive by working daily. My mango and banana groves have become overgrown. It will take weeks to clear them. I have no children at home either; they’re all married.”

He recalled the panic that had set in last year. “We fled in a hurry. I don’t even remember how many families left. It took six or seven days to reach Mizoram. We travelled during the monsoon, and the leeches were a nightmare.”

Happy Hill once had 27 families, he said.

“Only 17 are back now. The rest are still in Mizoram. I don’t know if they will return.”

FOOD CRISIS

Most returnees report severe food shortages, largely due to damaged farmland and spoiled crops.

Lal Zar Lawm, president of the Bawm Social Council, said families were unable to practise jhum cultivation or tend to orchards during the conflict.

Even those who managed to harvest were unable to sell their produce at the market.

“The main crisis now is food,” he added. “Rainfall has been low recently. Those who’ve returned can still move about to find food. But if continuous rain starts, movement in forests and along streams will become impossible.

“Then, many Bawm people could starve.”

A former senior leader of the Bawm Social Council echoed the concern “It seems there’s no way out of this disaster without government support.

“NGOs willing to help face restrictive conditions from state forces, which discourages them."

He added, “An appeal has been filed with the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs. The quicker it’s approved, the better.

“We’ve heard that some neighbours who stayed behind are helping the returnees -- but their capacity is limited.”

Jira Bawm, chairman of Remakri Pransa Union Council, said: “Some families have returned, but most have not. We hope they will.

“Those who are back are facing a food crisis. They can buy and sell agricultural goods at markets, but they can’t run stalls themselves. Many are relying on food borrowed from neighbours.”

The council president confirmed they submitted a formal request for aid to the Chittagong hill tracts affairs ministry on Jun 26.

Thanjama Lusai, chairman of Bandarban Hill District Council, said the government has already devised plans to support the Bawms. Implementation will begin soon.

“Financial aid and food allocations are still pending. Once received, distribution will take place through the Bawm Social Council,” he added.

FEAR, TRAUMA

Many Bawm families still fear returning from hiding in forests or staying with relatives, said Lal Zar Lawm.

“Some families are still hiding deep in the jungle, afraid to come back. Their fear hasn’t gone away.

“Children and teenagers have been hit hard mentally,” he added. “Many fled to Mizoram with family, while others were left behind in hostels or houses as parents vanished abruptly.”

Headman Boithang Bawm of Paikhyong Mauza No. 341 in Roangchhari said over phone, “Two families have returned recently. Most haven’t.

“Earlier, there were 97 families in the village. Due to the unrest, 67 fled -- only two have come back so far.”

“Even families that stayed behind are struggling. Many don’t have enough food. With returnees arriving, they’re all trying to share what little they have,” he added.

ARMY CALLS RETURN A ‘MILESTONE’

The Bandarban militray region said 122 Bawm families in Ruma have returned home safely under the Army supervision.

In a statement on Jun 26, the Army said it plans to organise an event for the returnees.

Addressing the families, Maj Gen Mir Mushfiqur Rahman, GOC of the 24th Infantry Division, said: “Your return is not just our responsibility -- it symbolises national unity and is a milestone on the path to peace in the hill tracts. The army will continue to support you in security, rehabilitation, education, and livelihoods.”

The Army reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on armed activities in the region and said efforts are under way, in coordination with relevant agencies, to ensure the safe return of those still in hiding.

Efforts to secure peace, stability, and dignified coexistence in the region will continue, the statement read.

WHAT TRIGGERED THE CRISIS

The Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), also known as the Bawm Party, first emerged in early 2022 through social media reports from Ruma in Bandarban.

In October that year, the RAB held a press conference in Dhaka, revealing that the KNF had provided military training to members of the newly formed militant group Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya (JAFHS) in exchange for money.

On Apr 2 and 3 2024, armed attackers raided three branches of Sonali and Krishi banks in Ruma and Thanchi Upazilas.

They looted money, assaulted staff, abducted a bank manager, and stole weapons and ammunition.

The KNF was named in both incidents.

Following the attacks, joint security forces launched operations against the group in Ruma, Thanchi, and Roangchhari.

Several KNF members were killed in clashes during the drives. An Army personnel also lost his life.

Fearing violence, hundreds of Bawm families fled to neighbouring Mizoram in India.