Manipur News Today | Manipur: Returning Home Is Just The First Step For Displaced Families

After more than two years of heartbreak and displacement, several Meitei families made a poignant return to Kangchup - a village nestled in the Lamshang subdivision of Imphal West district, Manipur. Once filled with laughter and life, their homes now stand as charred remnants of the ethnic violence that erupted in early May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The flames not only consumed their houses but also uprooted their lives, forcing them into relief camps overnight. Today, amidst the ruins, hope flickers again. With the government announcing plans to rehabilitate thousands of displaced families across the state, these villagers dare to dream of rebuilding - not just their homes, but also the bonds that once held their community together. More than 50,000 people from the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities were internally displaced during the ethnic clashes, and the majority have spent over two years living in relief camps - waiting, hoping, and enduring.