AIZAWL: Approximately 30 additional refugees, constituting nine families, have sought refuge in Mizoram from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh, according to officials on Tuesday (June 18).
These new arrivals have been accommodated at Vathuampui Village in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram, officials confirmed.
The influx has raised the total number of Bangladeshi refugees sheltering in Mizoram to 1901, including 505 women and 810 children.
Most of these refugees, belonging to the Kuki-Chin community, particularly the Bawm and Pang tribes, fled due to ongoing conflict between the Bangladesh army and the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA).
The displacement began in November 2022 when ethnic tensions escalated at the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh, prompting many tribals to seek safety in Mizoram.
In addition to Bangladeshi refugees, Mizoram is currently hosting around 34,000 refugees from Myanmar, including 10,905 women and 12,844 children, across all 11 districts of the state.
These refugees fled Myanmar following the military coup on February 1, 2021, and subsequent civil unrest.
Furthermore, Mizoram is also providing shelter to approximately 9000 Kuki-Zomi-Hmar tribals who were displaced after ethnic conflicts erupted in Manipur in May last year.
The refugees from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur share ethnic ties and cultural similarities with the Mizos of Mizoram.
Currently, all refugees are being housed in relief camps and accommodated by relatives and friends throughout Mizoram.
Mizoram shares unfenced borders of 518 km and 318 km with Myanmar and Bangladesh, respectively.