New hopes, old pain: How Manipur IDPs are starting a new life in Mizoram

Ethnic violence in Manipur is now into the fifth month, but it would not be wrong to say that the violence, which started on May 3, has also impacted the neighbouring state of Mizoram for nearly as long. One of the earliest outcomes of the violence, which has killed over 200 people, was the mass displacement of people, especially from the Kuki community. As per the Mizoram government’s latest data, as of September 20, 2023, 11, 973 displaced persons from Manipur have entered Mizoram. This population is distributed across ten out of eleven districts in Mizoram, with the highest number of displaced persons in Aizawl (4429), followed by Kolasib (3660) and Saitual (2951). Of the total, around 2,000 are living in 32 relief camps while 9, 436 are living outside relief camps. An official informed EastMojo that while they recorded the arrival of the IDPs, they could not keep a track of how many returned.

But how have the displaced persons been coping in these five months? Have the families which fled moved on to other places? What happened to the students and how are they coping?

The need to move on