MANIPUR, India —Tens of thousands of Christians from the Kuki-Zo tribal community in India’s northeastern state of Manipur continue to be displaced, more than eight months after the onset of ongoing violence. During this period, at least 80 individuals, including women and children, have died due to inadequate healthcare and substandard living conditions in makeshift shelters in one district alone.
The conflict between the Kuki-Zo and the majority Meitei community, which is largely Hindu, over land rights and identity has been ongoing since May 3, 2023, resulting in at least 158 deaths and displacing nearly 41,000 Kuki-Zo individuals, according to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum.
Of these displaced individuals, at least 21,000 are in more than 110 relief camps in Churachandpur district, which is inhabited by the Kuki-Zo people. Mary Beth, who works with the Churachandpur-based Rural Women Upliftment Society, told The Christian Post that at least 80 displaced individuals, including women and children, have died primarily due to the absence of specialist doctors and essential medicine.
Most of these victims had pre-existing conditions like asthma, cancer, renal issues and diabetes, and couldn’t afford to move to another state, Beth said, adding that the government’s aid, consisting of only one blanket and mattress per family, was grossly insufficient for the needs of the displaced families, averaging four members each.
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