Operation Samtal
Villagers flee crossfire:
Imphal, Dec. 25: Neneng Haokip, 19, had returned home to Dingpi village in Manipur’s Thoubal district to celebrate Christmas with her family members.
However, the 19-year-old student was shocked when she found that her family members had fled their village to escape the crossfire between militants and security forces.
“My family did not inform me that they were leaving the village. When I went there I was told by those who had stayed behind that my family had fled to Moreh. I then went to the border town and finally met my parents at Sugnu in Thoubal district,” she said.
Not just Haokip’s family, nearly 500 villagers have reportedly fled the area after security forces launched a massive operation on November 18 to flush out militants of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF). All the villagers in this tribal belt belong to the Kuki community and are Christians.
The security forces are inching forward towards the Indo-Myanmar border via New Somtal Road. The commander of the 26 sector of Assam Rifles, Brig. Reymond Noronha, had announced on December 5 that the flushout operation would be completed before Christmas.
“Planting of IEDs by militants has made the progress of the operation slow. Yet, we are making headway,” an army official said.
Though both the UNLF and the security forces claim that they have inflicted damages upon each other, there has been no collateral damage or civilian casualty.
But this has not prevented villagers from fleeing Dingpi and the neighbouring villages. Most of them have fled to Moreh, Sugnu, Churachandpur and Imphal, one of the displaced persons said.
Haokip’s 47-year-old father, John, and other displaced villagers from Dingpi today attended a local Church in Sugnu to pray. Haokip’s family is staying at a relative’s house. What they are worried about is where the next meal will come from.
“Who will feed your family for days? Here, you do not know how to earn money. I want to return to my village, but the fighting is still on. Christmas does not bring any joy to us,” John said.
The villagers are praying that the New Year will bring peace to their village, that the “war” will end and they will be able to return to their normal lives.
“Instead of fighting each other, why don’t they come to the negotiating table and sort out things peacefully. This will end our troubles,” Ngamlen Ngaite, a village chief, said.
Posted On: The Telegraph
Imphal, Dec. 25: Neneng Haokip, 19, had returned home to Dingpi village in Manipur’s Thoubal district to celebrate Christmas with her family members.
However, the 19-year-old student was shocked when she found that her family members had fled their village to escape the crossfire between militants and security forces.
“My family did not inform me that they were leaving the village. When I went there I was told by those who had stayed behind that my family had fled to Moreh. I then went to the border town and finally met my parents at Sugnu in Thoubal district,” she said.
Not just Haokip’s family, nearly 500 villagers have reportedly fled the area after security forces launched a massive operation on November 18 to flush out militants of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF). All the villagers in this tribal belt belong to the Kuki community and are Christians.
The security forces are inching forward towards the Indo-Myanmar border via New Somtal Road. The commander of the 26 sector of Assam Rifles, Brig. Reymond Noronha, had announced on December 5 that the flushout operation would be completed before Christmas.
“Planting of IEDs by militants has made the progress of the operation slow. Yet, we are making headway,” an army official said.
Though both the UNLF and the security forces claim that they have inflicted damages upon each other, there has been no collateral damage or civilian casualty.
But this has not prevented villagers from fleeing Dingpi and the neighbouring villages. Most of them have fled to Moreh, Sugnu, Churachandpur and Imphal, one of the displaced persons said.
Haokip’s 47-year-old father, John, and other displaced villagers from Dingpi today attended a local Church in Sugnu to pray. Haokip’s family is staying at a relative’s house. What they are worried about is where the next meal will come from.
“Who will feed your family for days? Here, you do not know how to earn money. I want to return to my village, but the fighting is still on. Christmas does not bring any joy to us,” John said.
The villagers are praying that the New Year will bring peace to their village, that the “war” will end and they will be able to return to their normal lives.
“Instead of fighting each other, why don’t they come to the negotiating table and sort out things peacefully. This will end our troubles,” Ngamlen Ngaite, a village chief, said.
Posted On: The Telegraph