Since May 3, ethnic disputes between the predominately Meiteis and tribal populations in Manipur have resulted in over 150 fatalities.
Digital Desk: In a letter sent on Saturday, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a collective of Manipur's tribal leaders, asked the opposition alliance INDIA to support their demand for a separate administration and the execution of the president's rule in the violently-hit state.
Since May 3, ethnic disputes between the predominately Meiteis and tribal populations in Manipur have resulted in over 150 fatalities.
The Meiteis make up around 53% of Manipur's population and are primarily concentrated in the Imphal valley, while the tribal population, which includes the Nagas and Kukis, makes up 40% and is mainly concentrated in the hill districts.
"We sincerely want the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to support us and inform the country of our situation."
"We implore you to help us survive this onslaught by supporting our demand for a separate administration from Manipur and to urge the central government to introduce President rule immediately in Manipur to end the violence," the ITLF wrote in a two-page letter to the opposition parties.
Peace in the northeast state remains a faraway dream nearly three months after the sectarian violence began, according to the letter signed by ITLF chairman Pagin and secretary Muan Tombing.
According to the report, "while all parties have suffered, the minority Kuki-Zo tribals have suffered the brunt of the violence, accounting for over two-thirds of the deaths in the conflict."
According to the ITLF, the "ethnic cleansing campaign" uses thousands of guns that were stolen from state armouries in Imphal, the capital.
"To make matters worse, state police commandos with sophisticated guns and mortars have been openly joining armed Meitei gunmen to infiltrate tribal settlements and strike the frontlines... The army and other security forces are disadvantaged because the President's rule has not yet been implemented into effect, and gaps in military buffer zones are frequently exploited," it claimed.
It stated that the blockade of the single national highway heading to the highlands of Churachandpur, the largest district in the state, also results in a shortage of basic supplies like food and medicine for thousands of tribal people.
The ITLF claimed that "those that are available are ferried from Mizoram through mountainous roads, leading to a huge increase in the prices of goods."
More than 7,000 homes have been burned down, 359 churches have been demolished, and more than 40,000 tribal members have been forced to flee their villages since the conflict began on May 3.
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