India (MNN) — Suffering intensifies in displacement camps as India’s leaders ignore the mounting crisis in Manipur.
State officials were supposed to gather on Monday to resolve differences between the warring Meitei and Kuki people groups. Manipur’s governor never called the session to order.
Meanwhile, doctors warn that conditions in 253 displacement camps will worsen with monsoon onset, raising disease risk. Tens of thousands of people fled Manipur’s capital when clashes began three months ago.
“We’re dealing with immediate relief needs [now] but imagine 50- to 60,000 displaced people. We need to help them sustain [themselves] physically, mentally, and spiritually,” says Pastor Mang*, a Kuki church leader connected to A3.
Ongoing fighting makes it nearly impossible to reach people in need. Meitei militants killed three young Kuki men while they were sleeping on Friday night.
“Meitei militants come and attack our villages; they use all kinds of mortar bombs and whatnot,” Mang says.
“As believers, we understand that we need to forgive. But how can we reconcile when they keep on attacking [us]?”
Pray for an immediate end to the violence in Manipur. Send physical relief through one of the missions agencies listed here. Over 300 Christian buildings have been destroyed.
“This conflict has united Christians all over India. In Delhi, evangelical churches – including the Catholics and Anglicans – join hands together in protest against what’s happening in Manipur, the persecution and the hardships that our Christian brothers and sisters are going through,” Pastor Mang says.
Header image depicts homes in the Manipur hills. Photo courtesy of Jakfoto Productions/Flickr.
