Mizoram grapples with cross-border crisis amid new influx of refugees

More than 3,641 new refugees from Myanmar’s conflict-torn Chin State have taken shelter in Mizoram’s Champhai district since July 3, according to local authorities.

This included 311 Mynamar nationals who entered Mizoram in the last 24 hours, as two Chin rebel groups refused to bury the hatchet even after Monday's peace meeting.

Fleeing violence

This recent influx is prompted by the intense armed clashes between two ethnic rebel groups — the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) — in the Hualngo area near the India-Myanmar border.

These latest arrivals bring the total number of Myanmar refugees currently in Mizoram to over 32,000.

Also read: Mizoram CM, civil groups broker peace in Myanmar as India recalibrates policy

Refugees primarily from the villages of Khawmawi, Rikhawdar, and Lianhna fled the violence and sought safety in the Zokhawthar area of Champhai. Local sources reported a fierce gun battle between the CNDF and CDF, two of several anti-junta militias operating in Chin state over the control of Rikhawdar, an important border trading town.

Since Thursday morning the fierce gunbattle started between the two groups, trapping civilians in firing line, Sawmthang, a refugee from Rikhawdar was quoted as saying by locals. Sawmthang crossed over to Mizoram with his family on Saturday, sources told The Federal, adding a fresh batch of around 220 people who reached this side of the border on Sunday night.

Ceasefire ends

The latest fratricidal turf war between the two influential Chin insurgent groups, ended a ceasefire brokered between them by Mizo politicians and civil society organisations, led by Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma a few months ago.

The government’s “Advocacy Group for Peace in Chinland” had successfully mediated a historic agreement between the two rebel groups.

As per the agreement signed at Lalduhoma’s official residence in Aizawl, both parties committed to jointly draft a Chin National Constitution. The document is intended to serve as the legal and governance framework for a self-administered Chin State after the eventual ouster of Myanmar’s military junta.

The differences, however, once again cropped up between the two groups since both want to take full control of Rikhawdar, a trading town on the Myanmar-India border.

Sources said that Mizoram-based organisations such as the central committee of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) and the Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO) held a secret meeting in Aizawl with the two groups, at the behest of the chief minister to work out a reconciliation.

The outcome of the marathon meeting that went till late in the evening could not be known immediately.

Also read: Mizoram body urges Amit Shah to reconsider India-Myanmar border fencing, restore FMR

Strain on locals

The recent wave of refugees into Mizoram has caused additional strain on local resources and has begun to test the patience of some segments of the host population.

Initially welcomed warmly by the people of Mizoram, the prolonged refugee crisis has led to growing unease. Local resentment has been fuelled by reports of increasing criminal activities involving some refugees.

In response, Chief Minister Lalduhoma has urged all displaced persons to respect the law of the land.

"The Mizoram government will take stern action against those refugees who misbehave and violate our laws," Lalduhoma said during a recent meeting with Surinder Bhagat, joint secretary, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Cracking down on offenders

Lalduhoma warned that his government is contemplating confiscating Myanmar-issued identity documents of repeat offenders, particularly those who frequently criss-cross the border. Acting on directions from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the state government has also started preparations to conduct biometric enrollment of Myanmar refugees sheltering across 11 districts.

Mizoram home secretary Vanlalmawia confirmed that the enrolment process is expected to begin this month using the modified Foreigner Identification Portal. Children under five years of age will be exempted.

Another crisis

Mizoram’s volatile refugee situation is staring at another crisis — this time from Bangladesh.

Military operations by the Bangladesh Army in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) have triggered the displacement of many members of the indigenous Bawm community. These civilians are reportedly waiting near the India-Bangladesh border in hopes of crossing into Mizoram.

According to human rights watchdogs, including the Global Association for Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (GAIPCHT), more than 68 villages across 10 sub-districts have come under intensive cordon-and-search operations since June 19.

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The crackdown targets alleged sympathisers of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) and the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), two insurgent outfits active in the region.

The operations have reportedly resulted in the arrest of at least 23 indigenous residents. Human rights organisations alleged that military forces have occupied schools, disrupted education, and committed abuses, including sexual harassment and illegal detentions.

One particularly harrowing report involves the raid of a home in Khagrachhari on June 27, during which a 14-year-old girl was allegedly tied up and interrogated by soldiers.

Precarious situation

The GAIPCHT has appealed to the European Union Ambassador in Dhaka to dispatch a fact-finding mission and called on the Bangladeshi interim government under Muhammad Yunus to halt its operations and ensure accountability for rights violations.

The GAIPCHT alleges that the crackdown is part of a broader effort by Dhaka to support Rohingya armed groups fighting against the Arakan Army in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Rohingya factions are reportedly intensifying recruitment among refugees using religious messaging, increasing fears of further destabilization across borders.

With simultaneous refugee crises brewing on two international frontiers, the Mizoram government finds itself navigating a precarious balance between humanitarian obligations and national security concerns.

While the Assam Rifles have sealed portions of the international border with Myanmar to prevent potential threats, Indian authorities have continued to allow unarmed civilians to cross on humanitarian grounds.

The latest wave of arrivals has begun to test the patience of some segments of the host population. The locals had so far supported the state government’s refugee policy but the state's ability to absorb further refugees appear to be reaching its limits.

Officials are closely monitoring developments along the Bangladesh border, even as preparations continue for the orderly registration of Myanmar refugees already within the state, a source in the Assam Rifles said.