Aid for Displaced Tribals in Kangpokpi, Manipur

With a heavy heart, I have created this GoFundMe page to raise humanitarian aid for the tribal communities heavily and disproportionately impacted by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in my home state of Manipur, India. The hilly state in northeastern India borders Myanmar and hosts ethnically diverse Sino-Tibetan communities with unique languages, religions, and cultures. The state has been engulfed in ethnic violence since May 3, 2023, and as of June 12, the death toll has risen to 121, 352 injured, 4,305 houses looted and burned, vehicles torched, hundreds of churches desecrated and destroyed, and more than 60,150 people have been displaced internally. Most Internally Displaced Persons are sheltered in ad hoc refugee camps in Manipur, around 272 relief camps spread across the state, while others have fled to other parts of India. There are still 37,177 people living in relief camps and community halls. The crisis has prompted the Supreme Court of India to term it a “humanitarian problem.”

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The ethnic clashes began on May 3, 2023, between the non-tribal Meitei people and the tribal Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi-Hmar tribal community (Kuki for short) as a consequence of long-drawn contestation over access to land and resources, illegal immigration, drug menace, and the Meiteis long-pending demand for ‘Schedule Tribe’ (ST) status among other contributing factors. The ST status entitles marginalized communities to the benefits of reservations (‘affirmative action’) in jobs and educational institutions, greater administrative autonomy, and other constitutional protections per government of India policies. While the largely Hindu Meitei community form about 60% of Manipur’s over 3.1 million population and mostly reside in the state capital of Imphal valley, the predominantly Christian Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi-Hmar tribes constitute 25% of the population, and mostly inhabit the hills. The tribals have historical and ancestral relationships with the hills and consider themselves the traditional stewards of the forest lands.

Why care?

Other than caring for justice, ethics, and human dignity, I cannot help but take this crisis personally because not only am I a Kuki indigenous tribe from Manipur, but my family in Kangpokpi District and relatives in Imphal, one of the epicenters, has been directly and indirectly impacted by the ethnic conflict.

Since the 3rd of May, my older brother had been stranded in Churachandpur one of the epicenters and I have not been able to communicate with my parents via WhatsApp (our primary mode of daily interaction) as the state has disabled and suspended internet connections. The ban is extended till June 15 as of now. The only way I could learn about their situation was through my older brother who was stranded in Churachanpur district. On Saturday, May 6, my uncle’s family was compelled to leave their family home in Imphal when ravaging mobs began targeting and engaging ravenously in the looting, ransacking, and burning down of the homes, businesses, and churches located in tribal neighborhoods in Imphal. They were evacuated from Imphal escorted by the Indian army to a safer relief camp. Like them, hundreds of other families were to be relocated from Imphal to a safer area in batches. During the flight, their vehicle and paramilitary escort personnel were attacked and shot at by violent thugs. The group had to take shelter in a police station nearby, and what was supposed to be a short journey turned into half a day of a hellish ordeal. The group was eventually relocated to a “safer” zone.

Indian paramilitary troops sent by the government of India eventually controlled the situation, and the bloodshed mostly abated. However, there are fears that tensions could reignite and escalate at any point, and despite the Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) claims that things are under control, there is little swift return to normalcy for the displaced tribals. Thus far, the CM has not provided substantive assurance to bring about sustainable solutions, specific mandates and mechanisms to ensure the collective security and liberty of tribal peoples and safeguard their human rights. The army protects the displaced tribals currently finding safety in camps, and those who want to return to their homes (if their home hasn’t already been razed to the ground) cannot do so out of extreme fear for their lives and safety. Most importantly, the tribals affected by the violence view the CM, a Meitei, as actively colluding with the perpetrators and have lost complete trust in the state machinery.

On May 29, 2023, Home Minister, Amit Shah visited Manipur for three days and appealed for peace. However, the violence continued in Manipur despite the presence of over 34,000 security forces and a recent appeal by Home Minister Amit Shah to give peace a chance, at least for 15 days. The war is incessantly going on till today, June 12, 2023.

Where will the funds go?

The funds from this initiative will primarily serve the immediate needs of displaced tribals who hail from low-income backgrounds and are already structurally disadvantaged because of their lack of access to social, cultural, and economic capital. Many camps sheltering displaced tribals risk reaching maximum capacity and running out of critical supplies, including food, drinking water, clothing and blankets, first aid supplies, medicines for the injured and elderly, feminine sanitary products, and baby food, among other essentials.

The unprecedented economic fallout awaiting displaced tribals could prove disastrous, with thousands of individuals losing their jobs, families uprooted from their homes and towns, and children and college students disconnected from their educational institutions. Lastly, they will be compelled to peel away the layers of trauma, grief, and survivors’ guilt, perhaps for the rest of their lives.

I hope your contributions and advocacy will profoundly impact the displaced tribal families and communities. I would deeply appreciate any measure of contribution you can extend, and whatever funds I raise from this page will be used to leverage existing aid on the ground. Lastly, I kindly request that you hold the displaced and the suffering in your thoughts and prayers.

Sources and additional links to the news coverage of the ethnic violence in Manipur:

• Ethnic Cleansing: No Subterfuge Please! Indian Currents. May 22, 2023. https://www.indiancurrents.org/article-ethnic-cleansing-no-subterfuge-please-a-j-philip-1677.php

• ‘Separation is the only answer’: Manipur violence fuels calls for separate state in India. The Guardian. May 15, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/16/separation-is-the-only-answer-manipur-violence-fuels-calls-for-separate-state-in-india

• Manipur Violence: Death Toll Rises Up To 71, Says Report. Outlook Magazine. May 13, 2023. https://www.outlookindia.com/national/manipur-violence-death-toll-rises-up-to-71-says-report-news-285946

• No home to return to: Manipur violence survivors. The Times of India. May 13, 2023. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/no-home-to-return-to-manipur-violence-survivors/articleshow/100207735.cms?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=TOIDesktop&fbclid=IwAR0pomiI-QJlr-8caN4tX-UyZHH297-9ONvjyPKi3ESnEEAH60aaTTtVGsE&from=mdr

• Manipur violence, premeditated, use of terrorism by state actors claim Council of Nagalim Churches. Ukhrul Times. May 13, 2023. https://ukhrultimes.com/manipur-violence-premeditated-use-of-terrorism-by-state-actors-claim-council-of-nagalim-churches/

• Battered and bruised, this retired Manipur govt officer recounts how she lost everything. The Telegraph. May 11, 2023. https://www.telegraphindia.com/north-east/battered-and-bruised-this-retired-manipur-govt-officer-recounts-how-she-lost-everything/cid/1936051?fbclid=IwAR0LOcu5GpJYwQLAC3s-ARnh9PCQFRLtHa1Od9nka-GHX5_fbsHo-MWAAWI

• SC calls Manipur crisis ‘humanitarian problem’, emphasises need for protection of displaced persons, religious places of worship. The Hindu. May 08, 2023. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-asks-centre-state-to-up-security-relief-and-rehabilitation-of-those-hit-by-manipur-violence/article66826533.ece

• Dozens Killed in Ethnic Clashes in India’s Manipur State. May 6, 2023. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/world/asia/ethnic-clashes-indias-manipur-state.html?fbclid=IwAR2D6KQtiVPsFaIHnr202Jt1GlPf3Fw0_PnuGBxhCO8czSOVputoIXrYGd4

• Over 50 dead, hundreds hospitalized and 23,000 displaced by ethnic violence in India’s Manipur. May 8, 2023. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/07/india/manipur-ethnic-violence-over-50-dead-india-intl-hnk/index.html?fbclid=IwAR09cfPI5t4koOTmzWqfZOrQoFV6E293RywHyzcfCfuqUtHE4hGoTqxvz5c

• Many killed in Manipur riots; State government issues shoot-at-sight order. The Hindu. May 4, 2023. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/manipur-violence-government-issues-shoot-at-sight-orders-in-extreme-cases/article66812131.ece.

• Indian army steps in to quell violence in the northeastern state of Manipur. Reuters. May 4, 2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-army-steps-quell-violence-northeastern-state-manipur-2023-05-04/

• Manipur: Curfew in Indian state after protests turn violent. The BBC. May 4, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-65478547

• ‘Shoot-at-sight’ orders issued after violence in India’s Manipur. Aljazeera. May 4, 2023. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/4/shoot-at-sight-orders-issued-after-violence-in-indias-manipur

• Manipur violence: Miscreants in guise of troops may enter village. Times of India. June 12, 2023.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/100908129.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst.

• Manipur violence: 121 people killed, 352 injured, 4,305 arson attacks. Jun 12, 2023, India Today. https://www.indiatodayne.in/manipur/story/manipur-violence-121-people-killed-352-injured-4305-arson-attacks-576986-2023-06-12

• A Rising India Is Also, in One Remote Pocket, a Blood-Soaked War Zone. June 9, 2023. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/09/world/asia/india-manipur-conflict.html

• Manipur: Father's plea for justice echoes after child and mother burned alive in an ambulance. Jun 10, 2023, India Today. https://www.indiatodayne.in/manipur/story/manipur-fathers-plea-for-justice-echoes-after-child-and-mother-burned-alive-in-an-ambulance-574006-2023-06-10

• Joint Operation launched in both hills and valley in Manipur as violence continues for more than a month. JUN 07 2023, Deccan Herald.

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/joint-operation-launched-in-both-hills-and-valley-in-manipur-as-violence-continues-for-more-than-a-month-1225768.html