Myanmar refugees flee clashes into India’s Mizoram State

A renewed wave of refugees has crossed from Myanmar into India’s northeastern state of Mizoram amid fierce clashes between two anti-junta Chin militias, Indian officials confirm. Since 2 July, approximately 3,600 to 4,400 refugees—mainly from Chin State—have arrived in border villages like Zokhawthar, Vaphai, and Saikhumphai, seeking safety from the violence .

The conflict involves the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the rival Chinland Defence Force–Hualngoram (CDF-H), both affiliated with broader anti-junta forces. The fighting prompted the CNDF to seize all eight CDF-H camps, sparking heavy exchanges of gunfire resulting in civilian displacement. The India Express reports that as they fled, four individuals—including some fighters—drowned trying to cross the fast-flowing Tiau River into.

Mizoram—already hosting an estimated 32,000 Myanmar refugees, mostly of Chin ethnicity—has seen its refugee population swell amid this latest crisis. The Associated Press reports that the region’s short-term shelters in schools and community centres now overflow with families, including large numbers of children and the elderly. Local NGOs and the Young Mizo Association (YMA) are providing food and essentials, but resources remain stretched.