Uncertain Future for Displaced Families in Manipur Amid Resettlement Plans

Sun Nov 30 2025 23:39:42 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Families displaced by violence in India's Manipur state face an impending deadline as government plans to close relief camps loom. Many express fears of not being able to return home and question the feasibility of the proposed resettlement plan.

As the Indian government sets a December deadline to close relief camps in Manipur for families displaced by ethnic violence, uncertainty looms. Over 60,000 residents continue to live in temporary shelters following clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities, raising concerns about their future. Many remain apprehensive about resettlement plans that lack clarity on safety and location. Experts warn that effectively resettling individuals in their original neighborhoods is crucial for maintaining social stability.

Thousands of people displaced by ethnic clashes in India's north-eastern state of Manipur two years ago now face an uncertain future, as the government plans to shut down all temporary relief camps by December.

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.

Anxieties grew further in July when the state's then Chief Secretary Prashant Singh announced that all relief camps would be shut down by December and its residents would be resettled.

He added that those unable to return to their homes would be relocated to pre-fabricated housing units. The government, however, did not clarify where these units would be - whether near the relief camps or near displaced people's original homes - worsening their concerns about future.

Uncertainty grew in September when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his first visit to Manipur since the violence began, announced that 7,000 new homes would be built to resettle the displaced in appropriate locations without giving any other details.

On the ground, Manipur remains sharply divided: the Meiteis inhabit the Imphal Valley, while the Kukis live in the surrounding hill districts; and security forces continue to patrol the buffer zones that separate the two communities.

Many displaced people fear that if they leave the relief camps and move into temporary housing, they might never be able to return to their homes.

It's a thought that haunts Hatnu Haokip. For her, home means only one place - Imphal valley - and she yearns to go back. But that can't happen because our village is now surrounded by Meitei people, said the 22-year-old who is now living in a relief camp in the hilly Churachandpur region.

This sentiment was echoed by several other Kukis, who also feel apprehensive of returning to their homes. On the other hand, most Meiteis said they wanted to go back home.

Irom Abung, who once ran a water supply business in Churachandpur, now lives in a relief camp near a buffer zone. His house was damaged during the violence, but he expresses a strong desire to return to his land.

As tens of thousands continue to live in relief camps, many complain about not receiving the facilities the government promised. Prolonged displacement is also taking a toll on people's mental health, with reports of suicides and lack of access to medical help.

As the government insists the resettlement plan is on track, doubts remain whether they will be able to close all relief camps by the deadline. With lives hanging in the balance, residents fear a future filled with uncertainty.