Guwahati: Thousands of illegal migrants have fled to Indian territory of Mizoram as fighting between two anti-junta armed factions in Myanmar has escalated for the last several days. Since July 2, a new round of refugees has been arriving in Mizoram. In Myanmar, a gunfight broke out between the Chinland Defence Force, Hualngoram and the Chin National Defence Force over control of Chin state.
Since the conflict began on July 2, between 3,000 and 4,000 refugees have arrived in Mizoram, according to a top official who wishes to remain anonymous. “They are receiving food, water, and shelter.” In the Champhai district, refugees are arriving in Saikhumphai Village and Zokhawthar, which border Myanmar.
There are currently over 36000 Myanmar nationals, including 12,572 children, housed in various camps, government buildings, and rental homes across all 11 districts of Mizoram, according to a state Home Department official. Following the February 2021 military seizure of the war-torn nation, they gradually sought refuge in Mizoram. In November 2022, more than 2,000 tribal people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeast Bangladesh sought refuge in Mizoram after fleeing their communities in CHT due to ethnic unrest in the neighboring country. Following the outbreak of ethnic violence in the neighboring state in May of last year, over 7,800 Kuki-Zo refugees from Manipur have also sought safety in various districts of Mizoram.
The Kuki-Zo-Chin-Hmar-Bawm tribal group, which includes the refugees from Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Manipur, has linguistic, cultural, and ethnic ties to the Mizos of Mizoram. In a March 10, 2021, communique to the director general of the Assam Rifles and the chief secretaries of Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh, the union home ministry said that the current internal situation in Myanmar made it likely that there would be a large-scale illegal influx into Indian territory. It had already warned these states and the security forces to remain vigilant and take the necessary steps to stop any potential inflow into Indian territory.
Additionally, the union ministry had stated that state governments lacked the authority to award any foreigners refugee status.
It should be mentioned that the central government has started fencing the Indo Myanmar border and abrogated the Free Movement Region (FMR). But some organisations led by the Church committee are opposing the border fencing.
