Four months have passed since the outbreak of the violent conflict in Manipur on May 3. Over 190 lives have been lost, more than 200 villages reduced to ashes, and more than 60,000 people displaced. Yet, the violence has shown no signs of abating.
There were some incidents of violence towards the end of April. But the outbreak and scale of violence caught everyone, myself included, off guard. However, the turmoil in the state remained largely unnoticed until a disturbing video emerged. It shows the horrifying ordeal endured by two women who were paraded naked. Why did it take a horrific video for the world to take notice of what was happening in Manipur?
News from Manipur may have appeared as distant accounts of events unfolding in a remote corner of India, with which many did not have any emotional connection. However, for us on the ground, incidents over the past 4 months have shattered our lives. They have disrupted our present and cast doubt on our future.
Facing Horrifying Realities
Each day brings new challenges as we wrestle with heartbreaking stories, trauma, and the struggle to make sense of our own existence. We continually seek ways to navigate the consequences of the conflict and live with the dilemmas facing us now.
How do you pray with a 17 year old girl who was raped by armed Meitei men? Or a man whose son and wife were burnt inside an ambulance?
What can you say to a mother in a relief camp, who lost everything, including her daughter in the violence, and yet cannot perform her daughter’s last rites because the body is still in an Imphal morgue?
How do you grieve the loss of hundreds of civilians, subjected to brutal torture and mutilation, while defending their villages, and unfairly branded as ‘narco-terrorists’ or ‘kuki militants’?
How do we shield survivors and grieving families from media exploitation in the midst of limited media coverage on the plight of the Kuki Zo perspective in this conflict?
What does a peace and reconciliation dialogue look like when violence continues in the buffer zones with visible support from authorities for the aggression against the tribal Kuki Zo community?
We are navigating the conflict and its impacts along with these dilemmas. It has been a daunting challenge as it has often tested our convictions. However, amidst this crisis, we have also observed numerous changes and learned valuable lessons.
Faith in Action
In the midst of this gloom, we witnessed the pivotal role played by the local church in providing refuge for displaced individuals. In the first two months of the conflict in Manipur, churches turned into relief centres. They offered food and shelter, but also much-needed emotional and spiritual support to those uprooted by the conflict.
In the aftermath of the violence, several voices urged the government to respond faster. Meanwhile, the local church stepped in and mobilised support. This rapid response left government authorities, the media, and other observers deeply impressed.
Even as the government’s efforts to assist the displaced have improved in the past two months, the church has remained a steadfast pillar of support. These difficult circumstances enabled many in the Kuki-Zo communities to acknowledge our limitations and to seek solace, guidance, and deeper connection with God.
While this period has been marked by tragedy, it has also presented an opportunity to repent, reflect, and realign ourselves. We examined where we have gone wrong as individuals, as churches, and as a community.
In response, we have found ourselves coming together more frequently for prayer and extending help to those in need. This has led us to a place of greater intimacy with God. In Christ, we find comfort, renewal, and a sense of purpose in our journey.
Additionally, we have experienced the love and solidarity of churches across the country, particularly from South India. They have coordinated relief efforts and provided emotional and psycho-socio support to those living in the camps.
Even in the midst of deep despair, the unity of believers among the Kuki-Zo communities, of churches in the state, and across the country is encouraging to us. They have shown love, compassion, and solidarity.
Longing for Truth to Prevail
The proliferation of false narratives and misleading stories have exacerbated numerous incidents in this conflict. Various media houses in Imphal, including social media platforms, disseminate such misinformation.
For instance, consider the claim ‘the bodies of 37 Meitei rape victims including a 7-year-old child, were discovered in the morgue of Shija hospital in Imphal.’
The Director General of Police (DGP), Manipur Police and the hospital authorities refuted this claim the very next day. However, by then, the damage was irreparable. Eventually, this incident triggered the horrifying assault on Kuki-Zo women, including the two women whose ordeal was captured in the viral video.
The media has played a vital role in this conflict in Manipur. The non-existence of media houses in the hill districts of Lamka and Kangpokpi has increased misinformation. News originating from the Imphal Valley has often been accepted as truth, even when it wrongly labelled the Kuki population as ‘Kuki militants’, ‘narco-terrorists’, ‘poppy cultivators’, ‘infiltrators’, or ‘foreigners.’
The proliferation of falsehood and false propaganda, during and prior to the conflict, has led to unnecessary suffering and loss of life. In the midst of deep anguish and despair, we have felt helpless. People have dismissed or misrepresented our voices, our experiences, and our stories.
We can only draw solace in God’s word, which condemns lying lips (Prov. 12:22; Prov. 6:16-19) and promises that truth will ultimately prevail (Luke 8:17; Prov. 12:19; Prov. 19:5, 9).
God our Refuge
The current conflict in Manipur is a poignant reminder that our world has fallen short of God’s ideal. Amidst the various challenges we face, we have found solace in God (Psalm 9:9-10; 10:17-18).
Yet in the midst of the prevailing violence and the injustice, waiting on God’s justice has been difficult. The division and the hatred has been deep. There has been total physical, emotional, and geographical separation between the two communities.
Judging by what we see and experience, it has been vital for us to remind ourselves that God is in control, even when the circumstances appear grim. We acknowledge that the journey ahead may require us to endure unimaginable hardships and suffering. But our hope and unwavering trust in God’s sovereignty and justice must remain steadfast.
In conclusion, the ethnic conflict in Manipur should serve as a wake-up call for many of us who have grown complacent. We must shift from complacency and actively address the suffering and injustices that plague our country and the world— not just in Manipur. Equally crucial is the need to educate ourselves about situations of injustice. We need to pray, extend help, advocate, and embody God’s love to those who have suffered injustice.
