As inter-ethnic clashes have shaken the Indian state of Manipur for five days, some 23,000 people have fled the region, the army said on Sunday May 7. Authorities have not released an official death toll, but hospital morgues in the state capital Imphal and Churachandpur have so far reported 54 deaths, according to local media.
The unrest erupted on Wednesday when a protest march organized by a tribal group escalated into clashes, in which vehicles and homes were set on fire. The Indian army consequently deployed hundreds of soldiers on the spot Thursday with the order to shoot on sight “in extreme cases” in an attempt to restore calm in this state bordering Burma. Curfews were imposed and the internet was cut.
However, no “major incidents” were reported overnight from Saturday to Sunday and the curfew was lifted in Churachandpur district, one of the main areas of tension, the army said on Sunday. a statement.
Reinforcement of the presence of the army
The army said it had significantly stepped up its aerial surveillance efforts in the past 24 hours. “A total of 23,000 civilians have been rescued so far and transferred to our military bases or garrisons,” she said.
Tribal groups are unhappy with the prospect of seeing the Meitei community, the majority in the state, recognized as “scheduled tribes”, a designation that would give them access to a quota of civil service jobs and places in the universities within the framework of a policy of positive discrimination.
From the Kuki minority, L. Sanglun Simte, 29, took refuge with eleven members of his family outside Imphal airport where he has been camping since Saturday. “We fled for safety (…). They are attacking us, the Kukis,” he told Agence France-Presse, saying his cousin, Siemcha Gangte, 49, was killed by mobs on Thursday and his house burned down.
“The attackers say we are foreigners and we must leave Imphal. When they attacked us, the local police did not help us. Only the presence of the central forces made it possible to improve the situation on the ground,” he testified.
India’s northeast has seen decades of unrest between ethnic and separatist groups seeking more autonomy and even secession.
At least 50,000 people have been killed in Manipur since the 1950s. These conflicts have subsided over the years, with many groups making deals with New Delhi for more power.
