Fresh conflict between Myanmar Army, ethnic outfits leads to fresh influx of refugees into Mizoram

Aizawl: Due to the renewed fierce battles between the Myanmar Army and the alliance of three ethnic insurgent groups, including the Chin National Army (CNA), over 1,500 Myanmarese took shelter in Mizoram, sources said on Friday.

Sources said that the Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar military is known, engaged in fresh armed conflict with an alliance of three ethnic insurgent outfits including CAN in Chin and Rakhine State.

Mizoram Home Department officials said that around 1,500 fresh Myanmar refugees entered Mizoram during the past week and sheltered in the five districts – Champhai, Serchhip, Lawngtlai, Siaha, and Aizawl.

With the fresh arrival of refugees, the total number of refugees from Myanmar taking shelter in Mizoram has risen to over 35,120.

The Myanmarese took shelter in Mizoram in different phases after the military takeover in the conflict-ridden country in February 2021.

Besides the Myanmar nationals, over 2,000 Bangladeshi tribals, belonging to the Bawm community, took shelter in Mizoram since November 2022. The Bangladeshi refugees from Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeast Bangladesh fled from their villages and sought refuge in Mizoram after an offensive by the Bangladeshi Army against the insurgent group Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA).

The Kuki-Zomi-Chin- Bawm tribes in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur share ethnic ties, and cultural and linguistic similarities with the Mizo people. Most refugees stay in rented accommodation and the homes of their relatives or friends, while others live in relief camps across the border state, which shares a 510-km-long unfenced border with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh.