Myanmar military’s airstrikes near border along Mizo village to target rebel strongholds

AIZAWL | Updated: 13 November, 2023 7:09 pm IST

The refugees being treated for injuries at the district hospital

AIZAWL: Myanmar Army’s fighter jets dropped two bombs on the Myanmar side of the Indo-Myanmar border, near Rihkhawdar village at Champhai district in Mizoram, in a fierce clash with the pro-democracy Chinland Defence Force, on Monday.

The conflict erupted after the CDF reportedly took control of a Myanmar Army camp in Rihkhawdar Village. The retaliatory airstrikes intensified the already heated exchange of fire on the Indo-Myanmar border near Mizoram. Presently, there have been no casualties reported from the Indian side of the border.

Champhai’s Deputy Commissioner, James Lalrinchhana, said, “The fighting started on Sunday evening and continued through the night. There are also reports of bombing close to the international border, but there’s no damage on the Indian side.”

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As tensions flare, Mizoram has once again opened its doors to refugees. Over 1000 individuals have sought shelter in Mizoram, with at least 17 persons, including women and children, being treated for injuries, sustained during the bombing and crossfiring, at the District Hospital in Champhai.

Children and women being treated for injuries at the district hospital

The Rihkhawdar Village is around five kilometres from the border town of Zokhawtar.

The Mizoram government, defying the Indian government’s orders to close its borders with Myanmar and collect biometrics of the Chin refugees, continued to provide refuge to those fleeing the army crackdown in Myanmar. The state has been a sanctuary for refugees since the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021.

The state’s Minister of Information and Public Relations Lalruatkima stated that around 60,000 refugees from Myanmar and the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh are currently residing in Mizoram. The government of Mizoram maintains that the Chin people in Myanmar share a common ethnicity with the Mizos.

This unfolding situation highlights Mizoram’s defiant stand to support those affected in the ongoing unrest in Myanmar, despite the challenges posed by geopolitical tensions at the border.