“Want to go home”: Victims of Manipur ethnic clashes as unrest completes a year in 3 days

The Internally Displaced People surviving in relief camps, dream of the day when they will be able to return home and rebuild their lives again.

Three more days to go and the ethnic unrest in Manipur will complete a year. Emotions run high among the hundreds of men, women and children who are living in the relief camps in several parts of Manipur after violence rocked the state since May 3, 2023.

Northeast Live spoke to some of the internally displaced people (IDPs) at a relief camp in Imphal East’s Porompat, where violence affected people from Moreh are taking shelter.

It was an emotional moment when the IDPs spoke their heart sharing heart wrenching stories of the challenges and hardships they have been going through since last year and what they aspire for.

One of the IDPs, Ghanashyam Singh said, “I am a resident of Ward Nos.6 in Moreh. It will be a year soon since violence erupted. Now we cannot go back nor can we move ahead with our lives. We are just sitting here quietly in the relief camps. We want to go back to our homes in Moreh because I have to look after my children, I cannot earn staying here so I want to go back to my home in Moreh and earn money. We only want peace, both the Centre and the State Government must deliberate with all stakeholders so that lasting peace can be achieved.”

Feeling dejected and hopeless, Sadopam Pratima, another inmate at the relief camp said, “What is the use of leading such a life, it is better we die. Everyone staying in the relief camp is thinking so. There are killings still going on. So how can peace loving citizens stay in such a situation, it is better to die than witness such violence. This is what I want to tell PM Narendra Modi.”

Another person said, “Nothing will happen if there is conflict. Every one of us staying in relief camps want peace to prevail and we all want to return home. There is no meaning of living such a life. The way we are living now, including our children, it has no meaning. So, I want to tell the government that kindly take steps so that peace returns soon and we can be back in our homes. The government is providing us food but we want to go back to our homes.”

Another person broke down while speaking to Northeast Live. “I really want to go home. We have told the government that we want to go home. Government is providing only rice and pulses. When I remember my home, I just keep on crying. First, we want peace so that we can return home. The government is providing us food, but still a home is different.”

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