A fresh wave of refugees fleeing violence-hit Myanmar has entered the border areas of Mizoram, prompting local authorities and community organisations to prepare for a possible larger influx amid reports of renewed military operations in Myanmar’s western Chin state. According to police sources, at least 822 Myanmar nationals crossed into Zokhawthar village in Champhai district between Tuesday and Wednesday after fears grew over a possible advance by Myanmar junta troops towards areas bordering India. Officials said that 811 refugees entered through the Indo-Myanmar border trade point on Tuesday alone, while another 11 crossed over on Wednesday. These new arrivals add to the hundreds of refugees already sheltering in the border region.
Security personnel, including the police and the Assam Rifles, have started biometric registration and documentation of the refugees. Arrangements for shelter and humanitarian assistance are being coordinated by the Young Mizo Association (YMA), whose volunteers have been helping displaced families since the political crisis erupted in Myanmar in 2021. Leaders of the local YMA unit said that most of the refugees have taken shelter with relatives, friends, and acquaintances in Zokhawthar and nearby villages, reducing immediate pressure on temporary relief camps. Village council leaders in Zokhawthar stated that the latest arrivals mainly include elderly people, women, and children.
“They fear they may not be able to escape quickly if fighting reaches their villages,” a village leader said over the phone, adding that many families decided to move into Mizoram before the security situation worsens further. Local sources fear that a much larger influx may occur if Myanmar’s military intensifies operations in western Chin state in the coming days. Concerns have increased following the capture of Falam town by junta forces on April 25 after weeks of clashes with Chin resistance groups. Reports from across the border suggest that the military may now try to advance towards strategically important areas near the Indo-Myanmar border.
Earlier this month, another group of 151 refugees entered Zokhawthar after a deadly Myanmar military airstrike on Khawpuichhip village in Falam township. The attack reportedly killed seven civilians, including six children. In another incident, 42 more refugees crossed into Saikhumphai hamlet in southern Champhai district following the violence. Community leaders in Zokhawthar said that the refugee population in the border village has now surpassed the number of permanent local residents. Since the military coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, thousands of Chin refugees have entered Mizoram through different border points seeking refuge from armed conflict and military crackdowns. Meanwhile, reports from Rihkhawdar in Myanmar’s Chin state — located barely 5 km from the Tiau river that separates India and Myanmar — indicate that junta forces are trying to regain control of the Rihkhawdar-Khawmawi trade corridor, considered one of the most economically important sectors along the border.
