Shillong: The continuous influx from Myanmar has become a burden for a small Northeastern state like Mizoram. The numbers are staggering. Speaking on the sidelines of the North East Council (NEC) Annual General Meeting in Shillong on June 4, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said what many in the state have been feeling for a long time — the relentless flow of displaced people from war-torn Myanmar has become a burden on the small hill state.
“Due to the geopolitical condition there, we are getting many displaced people nowadays. It is likely that we will get more people seeking safety. This has become a burden for us,” the Chief Minister said plainly.
The scale of the crisis becomes clearer when you look at the figures. Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga recently told the assembly that the state is currently sheltering 28,964 Myanmar refugees spread across 11 districts. But that is only part of the picture.
Official government data puts the total number of displaced persons in Mizoram at 38,059 — a figure that includes refugees from Myanmar, refugees from Bangladesh, and internally displaced persons from neighbouring Manipur, which has been burning in its own ethnic conflict.
Aid agencies and humanitarian organisations estimate the actual refugee population could be anywhere between 50,000 and 60,000 — with a large number living outside official camps and not registered with the Indian government.
Mizoram shares a 510-kilometre international border with Myanmar to its east and a 318-kilometre border with Bangladesh to its west. It is, quite literally, sandwiched between two countries in various states of turmoil.
When Myanmar’s military launched its coup in February 2021 and the country descended into a brutal civil war, thousands of people — particularly from the Chin community — began crossing into Mizoram. The clashes between armed resistance groups and the military have only intensified since then. There is no end in sight.
The Chin people claimed to share ethnic, cultural and even family ties with the Mizo people on the Indian side of the border. That bond backed by Church bodies has driven Mizoram’s response — not policy, but kinship.
The Central Government has directed state governments not to accept refugees. Mizoram has quietly ignored that directive. The state government, alongside local churches, civil society organisations and ordinary residents, has been opening its doors to the displaced.
The civil war in Myanmar shows no signs of ending. Every fresh military offensive pushes more civilians toward the border. The Chief Minister’s words in Shillong on Thursday were not just a complaint,it is the reality.
