Ethnic clashes in Manipur have triggered the highest internal displacement figures within India since 2018, according to a report by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
Nearly 6 lakh people were displaced across India in 2023, with a staggering 67,000 uprooted in Manipur alone due to the communal conflict.
This figure represents over 11% of the national total and marks the worst violence-induced displacement in the state in recent years.
The remaining 5,28,000 displacements were attributed to due to floods, storms, earthquakes and other disasters.
The IDMC report attributes the unrest to protests that erupted in Churachandpur district on May 3rd, 2023.
The protests, sparked by a Manipur High Court order recommending Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community, turned violent and quickly engulfed neighbouring districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Tengnupal and Kangpokpi.
Land disputes are believed to have further stoked tensions between the Meitei and other indigenous communities, particularly the Kukis.
The report details the harrowing plight of the displaced, with over three-quarters forced to flee within Manipur itself.
A significant number, however, sought refuge in neighbouring Mizoram, with smaller pockets migrating to Nagaland and Assam.
The news is not all bleak on the disaster displacement front.
The IDMC report highlights a positive trend, with flood displacement figures reaching a record low of 352,000 movements – the lowest since data collection began in 2008.
The IDMC report reveals a staggering 7 crore 59 lakh people internally displaced worldwide by the end of 2023.
Conflict and violence were responsible for displacing 6 crore 83 lakh, while disasters uprooted 7 crore 7 lakh. The conflicts in Gaza and Sudan are identified as significant contributors to this alarming figure.
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