Manipur: Displaced families fear the looming resettlement deadline

Families displaced by the ongoing ethnic conflict are anxious as a government deadline to shut down relief camps nears.

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The violence, which erupted in May 2023 between the majority Meitei and the indigenous Kuki communities, was the worst the region had witnessed in decades.

It started after protests by the largely Christian Kuki community against the Meiteis, mostly Hindus, who were demanding official tribal status that would grant them access to the same government benefits and job quotas as other tribes, including Kukis.

At least 260 people were killed in the clashes and around 60,000 displaced people have since been living in temporary shelters.

Over the past two years, the government has made repeated promises to rehabilitate the displaced, but little has changed on the ground. Many say their lives remain in a limbo - effectively homeless and without a steady source of income.