Over 2,900 Myanmar refugees return home from Mizoram’s Zokhawthar
Smaller groups continued to return in the following days, with 47 and 48 refugees leaving on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.;
3,956 refugees took shelter at Zokhawthar. (Photo: @mizozeitgeist/'X')
Aizawl, July 17: Most of the refugees who had taken refuge at Zokhawthar village in Champhai district after fleeing Myanmar, have returned to their homes following a lull in the armed conflict between rival Chin outfits, police officials said here.
According to the Champhai Police, out of the 3,956 refugees taking shelter at Zokhawthar, a border trade hub, around 2,923 had returned to their villages in the western Chin state of Myanmar by Wednesday. The return of the Myanmar refugees that began on July 7, gained momentum on July 12 as 2,319 individuals crossed back into Myanmar. Smaller groups continued to return in the following days, with 47 and 48 refugees leaving on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
The villages of Khawmawi, Rihkhawdar, Lianhna and Tuichirh – all located in Chin state – had witnessed armed clashes earlier this month. Tension subsided after July 11 when cadres of the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) withdrew from the area, ending nearly a week-long occupation.
During the confrontation, CNDF forces had seized eight camps controlled by the Hualngoram People’s Organisation (HPO) and its armed wing, the Chinland Defence Force (CDF)-Hualngoram. Two CDF-Hualngoram members were killed and five others injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, in Champhai district, 744 refugees had sought shelter in Vaphai and Saikhumphai villages. Of these, 435 have returned to Leilet and nearby settlements now under the control of the Chin National Army (CNA), an ally of the CDF-Hualngoram under the Chinland Council.
However, 309 refugees are still in Mizoram, reportedly hesitant to return despite the urgency of tending to their farmlands.
Hostilities between the CNA and CNDF flared up, with the CNA launching an assault on the CNDF’s ‘Camp Rihli’ near Leilet on July 5. The attack was believed to be in retaliation against the CNDF’s earlier seizure of CDF-Hualngoram camps.
While efforts to mediate between the warring Chin groups are going on, a complete resolution has not been achieved yet.
By
Correspondent