More Myanmar nationals and civilians are crossing the border to escape the recent surge of violence between the military government and anti-junta groups in the country in the last few weeks.
At least 29 Myanmar soldiers entered Mizoram this week fleeing an attack by insurgents on their military base close to the Indian border, amid an ongoing fight between the rebels and the ruling junta government.
So far, around 1,500 Myanmar nationals have fled the country and took refuge in Mizoram as of November 13 following an intense gunfight between the Myanmar Army and pro-democracy militias.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has expressed deep concerns over the incidents of violence and called cessation of fighting that has triggered an influx of Myanmar’s refugees to Mizoram.
What is the situation in Myanmar?
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 2021 coup, when the military ousted a government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, ending a decade of tentative democratic reform. Since, the ousting of the Aung San Suu Kyi government, there has been violence between pro-democracy forces and the junta government.
The fighting surged in October as the violence is going on in multiple fronts. The Arakan Army, one of the ethnic militant groups, launched attacks in the western state of Rakhine putting the military government under pressure.
The Arakan Army, along with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army — calling themselves the Three Brotherhood Alliance — launched a coordinated offensive on October 27 in northern Shan state in northeastern Myanmar along the border with China.
Meanwhile, the fighting has also been reported between the rebels and the military in Minbya, Maungdaw, Mrauk-U and Kyauktaw townships.
The Myanmar’s military has resorted to airstrikes in the western region that killed at least 11 civilians.
What Has India Said?
India has called for cessation of fighting between Myanmar’s military and anti-junta groups near the international border. MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi expressed deep concerns over the incidents of violence close to the Indo-Myanmar border.
“As a result of the fighting, in the Rihkhawdar area in Chin State, opposite Zowkhathar in Mizoram on the India-Myanmar border, there has been movement of Myanmar nationals to the Indian side,” he said.
“We reiterate our call for return of peace, stability and democracy in Myanmar. Since the current conflict started in 2021 in Myanmar, a large number of Myanmar citizens have been taking refuge in India,” Bagchi added.
Myanmar, one of India’s strategic neighbours, shares a 1,640-kilometre border with a number of northeastern states, including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.
More than 31,000 Myanmar nationals have taken shelter in Mizoram since February 2021 after the Myanmar military junta staged a coup in the neighbouring country.
According to a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights statement, the recent spillover of the civil war since October 27, has led to the deaths of 70 civilians and injured 90, while more than 200,000 have been displaced.
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