INDIGENOUS WOMEN PARTICULARLY AT RISK IN BRUTAL INTER-ETHNIC CONFLICT IN MANIPUR.

INDIAN GOVERNMENT MUST SPONSOR PEACE TALKS, PROSECUTE THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR VIOLENCE, AND REHABILITATE AND RESETTLE THOSE AFFECTED BY THE VIOLENCE 

According to many observers, the lack of attention paid to the area, and the inaction on the part of the Central Government of Narendra Modi, is one of the root causes of the bloody clash between the armed groups belonging to the two peoples. Also critical is the lack of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of the Indigenous Peoples whose cultures and lands are being affected by forest conservation measures, energy and extractive projects, etc.

The Center for Research and Advocacy, Manipur, CRA, is calling on the government to “institute [a]prompt and impartial investigation into all recorded cases of violence against women, farmers, youths, students, and media personnel, and to prosecute all those involved in perpetuating the violence against indigenous women in Manipur, including its security forces, who have a duty bearer role to protect women, youths and all Indigenous Peoples in Manipur”.

The CRA also urges the Government of India and Government of Manipur to “take urgent steps to protect Indigenous Peoples, especially Indigenous women, from all forms of violence and discrimination in accordance with the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination and Violence against Women, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples.”

The Manipur based CRA, also calls attention to the increasing number of “cases of violence against women and youth perpetrated by the communities in conflict (and by the Indian security forces), despite the extensive militarisation of Manipur, and additional deployment of Indian security forces to Manipur in order to control the violence in the aftermath of the ethnic conflict that began on 3 May 2023.”

The increase in violence against women is extremely serious, but is hardly new, as documented by this recent article in the Indian news portal Outlook: Manipur: How Violence Against Women Has Become A Weapon During Conflict.

MANIPUR

Manipur is a State in the north east of India, with a long independent history dating back to AD 33. Except for the years of the British colonization from 1891  to 1947, the Kingdom of Manipur has generally been self-governed, and only became part of India as a consequence of the partition of the sub-continent when the British finally withdrew. More than 40 percent of Manipur’s people presently live below India’s poverty line.

Violence broke out in May of this year between the State’s two major ethnic groups, the predominantly Hindu Meiteis, the traditional population of the area, who live in the valley (10% of the land area), and once formed over 50% of the population, but according to the 2011 Census of India, now only form 43% and the mainly Christian Kukis, brought in by the British to protect Manipur from the raids by the northern Naga tribes, who are still in active rebellion against India. Officially, the Kuki population, just 1% in 1891, had risen to 16% by 2011. Although the number is uncertain due to various factors including increased migration, there is little doubt that the Kukis, who together with Naga groups, live mainly in the hills that form the major part of the State’s land area, now form a considerable proportion of the population.

The original dispute arose over a number of issues: the Meitie demand for restoration of Tribal Status and the violent response from opposing groups;  the cross border impact of the ongoing conflict in Myanmar;  and the Indian government’s pursuance of extractive industries and infrastructure projects, such as oil exploration, Kaladan Multimodal Transit Project, the trilateral highway project, etc. and the Sittwe to Gaya gas pipeline.

Meitei people’s cultural concerns, and unchecked Kuki migration from Myanmar, where they are being persecuted by that country’s military rulers, are also factors. And besides the Kukis, the Meiteis are also concerned about the unabated migration of non Indigenous Peoples from other parts of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

The Kuki have also revived the possibility of being granted a separate state administration and the unification of Kuki Zo territory, called the Zalengam, an idea that has been rejected by both the  Meitei and Naga communities. Religion is also part of the mix, as between the 1961 and 2011 censuses of India, the share of Hindus in the State declined from 62% to 41%, while the share of Christians rose from 19% to 41%.

The situation is extremely complex, with a risk the conflict could spread to Kuki and Meitei communities in neighboring Indian states, to Myanmar, and to Bangladesh. The violence, on the other hand, is quite clear.  At the time of writing, it is estimated that some 70,000 people have been displaced, hundreds killed and injured on both sides, and entire villages burned to the ground. Both groups have also formed armed militias that are still not under control. And while the Indian central armed forces have been brought in, the state police activated, and the two sides separated, the violence continues. Of particular concern is the increase in violence against women and young people, who are suffering attacks by both sides. Rights violations are also being committed by the Indian security forces,  which,  together with ethnic militias, have committed  major human rights abuses in the country’s north east, going back to the 1990’s, but have not been held accountable.

In the present situation, says the United States Institute for Peace: “A Kuki-aligned group, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, accuses Manipur state police of protecting only Meiteis. A Meitei group, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, accuses an Indian army-controlled force, the paramilitary Assam Rifles, of supporting Kuki militant groups. Kuki ethnic militias have established virtual fiefdoms in mountainous and border areas, extracting taxes from residents and income from the cultivation of poppies and trafficking in illegal drugs.  The militias’ control in those remote areas has increased over 15 years since the central government and Manipur authorities signed an effective truce with them”.

Fotos: 1. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2023/08/23/whats-behind-violence-has-displaced-60000-indias-manipur  2.https://thecsrjournal.in/why-manipur-violence-must-not-be-seen-in-isolation/