12 May 2026 – Nearly 5,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have reportedly returned to Falam town, Chin State, as the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC) moves to restore administrative functions and strengthen territorial control.
According to local reports, the SSPC has declared the Kalay-Falam Road open and invited residents to return home safely. Following the town’s recapture by the SSPC on 25 April, efforts to clean and rehabilitate schools, government offices, and other public infrastructure have commenced.
“We have heard that people actually returned but we are not sure about the exact number. This obviously includes non-CDM staff and others who have houses to take care of,” said a Falam resident who is currently taking shelter in the border area.
The military is preparing to transport over 400 civilians and government employees from Kalay town to Falam on 15 May. This effort is supported by the earlier deployment of over 100 non-Civil Disobedience Movement (non-CDM) civil servants to Falam to assist with administration.
Despite the SSPC’s claims, a Falam resident who is currently in a nearby village raised concerns that media reports may reflect SSPC propaganda, adding: “Only about 100 non-CDM personnel had returned under SSPC pressure the previous week. We heard that individuals entering Falam town are subsequently not allowed to leave, and that some displaced people may have returned to villages rather than Falam town itself.”
The reported returns coincide with an SSPC push for full control of the strategic Falam-Hakha Road corridor. Falam is a strategically vital mountainous region, acting as a critical link between the state capital, Hakha, and the Indian border, a route essential for the SSPC to maintain supply lines.
SSPC troops advancing toward Hakha town have reportedly reached areas near Chuncung village in Hakha township.
In recent weeks, the SSPC seized control of the strategic Laiva Dam area following a deadly clash. The junta has been heavily reliant on airpower in Falam; airstrikes in April and March killed civilians and damaged homes in the township.
Earlier in May, a security alert was issued following the disappearance of a 100-strong SSPC column near Laikua in Falam. – Reporting by Daniel
