PALETWA, Myanmar — A regional ethnic administration in Myanmar’s restive Chin State has declared that all adults of the Mara ethnicity must serve in its military wing, following the mass recruitment of over 100 youths during a local football tournament.
The Mara Territorial Council (MTC) and its military branch, the Mara Defense Force (MDF), reportedly carried out the recruitment drive on April 4, 2026, in Raka village, Paletwa Township. Witnesses say seven trucks were used to transport the young men, who were attending an inter-village football match.
Local sources told MPA that while older attendees were allowed to stay, younger men—including those allegedly under the legal age of 18—were taken away. “The village chairmen and elders traveled to Lailinpi on April 7 to negotiate for their release, but there has been no success,” a local resident said. “People from many different villages were there, and we are still trying to determine exactly how many from each community were taken.”
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for the MDF, Ko Dhu Wan, denied that minors were being targeted for service. “Our leaders were present at the event to explain the necessity of defending our region,” he told MPA. “The recruitment was concluded in an orderly manner, and we do not have a policy of conscripting those under the legal age.”
Despite the controversy, the MTC/MDF issued a formal decree on April 8, stating that the move is part of a broader security policy approved during the second Mara People’s Congress. The council emphasized that the current political situation requires every able-bodied Mara citizen to participate in regional defense efforts.
The Mara Defense Force is a member of the Chin Brotherhood (CB) and maintains a strategic alliance with the Arakha Army (AA), which has made significant territorial gains in the region over the past year.
The incident highlights a growing trend across Myanmar’s conflict zones, where ethnic revolutionary organizations (EROs) are increasingly moving toward formal conscription to bolster their ranks against the military junta. This shift mirrors the national conscription law recently enforced by the military authorities in Naypyidaw, leaving the country’s youth caught between competing demands for service.
As the conflict in Chin State continues to intensify, the balance between community-led defense and individual rights remains a point of deep tension. For the families of those taken from the football pitch in Raka village, the wait for their return continues amidst a nation-wide struggle for manpower in a war with no end in sight.
