Nearly 3,000 Myanmar refugees return home after ceasefire in Chin state

Nearly 3,000 refugees from Myanmar who had recently crossed into India and taken shelter in Mizoram have returned to their villages, a senior police official confirmed on Thursday.

The mass return follows a temporary ceasefire between rival Chin rebel factions — the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and Chinland Defence Force (CDF-Hualngoram), both backed by the Chin National Army (CNA). The armed conflict in early July had forced over 4,500 civilians from Myanmar’s Chin state to flee across the border into Mizoram’s Champhai district.

The refugees had been staying in the border villages of Zokhawthar, Saikhumphai, and Vaiphai. According to officials, 2,923 people returned from Zokhawthar and 39 more from Vaiphai by Wednesday. The return began on July 7 and accelerated from July 12 after the ceasefire came into effect.

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A police officer said the border situation has stabilised and more refugees may return in the coming days. Mizoram shares a 510-km porous border with Myanmar and has already provided shelter to over 32,000 refugees since the 2021 military coup in the neighbouring country.

The July conflict erupted when pro-democracy forces CNDF and CDF clashed with the CNA over territorial control. Retaliatory attacks by the CNA on a CNDF camp at Rihli village in Chin state led to a further influx of over 700 refugees to other border villages.

The Mizoram government plans to begin biometric and demographic data collection of Myanmar refugees by the end of July to aid in their identification. Most of the refugees belong to the Chin ethnic group, who share close cultural ties with the Mizos.