Thousands of refugees have crossed into India’s northeastern state of Mizoram after clashes between two anti-regime armed groups in neighbouring Myanmar, Indian authorities said on Monday.

Refugees have been crossing into Mizoram since July 2 when clashes between two rival Chin groups — the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force-Hualngoram (CDF-H) — erupted over control of strategic areas in Myanmar’s northwestern Chinland (Chin State), a senior security official told Reuters.

The official, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said that around 4,000 refugees had crossed the border since the fighting began.

Mizoram, which borders areas of Myanmar controlled by Chin resistance groups and whose residents share ethnic links with the Chin people, has hosted tens of thousands of refugees since the Myanmar military coup on Feb. 1, 2021.

Mizoram’s interior minister K Sapdanga confirmed the new arrivals, but put the number of refugees at 3,000.

“The fighting is beyond our control. People have come in and on humanitarian grounds, we have to provide drinking water, food and shelter,” Sapdanga told Reuters.

As of Sunday night, authorities had recorded 3,980 people in two villages – Zokhawthar and Saikhumphai – in the state’s Champhai district, the official said.

“It is a tentative number and keeps changing. Initially, a very few people had come but as a fighting intensified and got closer to the border, more people started coming in,” he said.

Myanmar’s regime spokesperson did not respond to calls seeking comment.

REUTERS