Displaced by conflict, Manipur’s forgotten families face uncertain future as relief camps near closure

Imphal: Two years after the ethnic violence that tore through India’s northeastern state of Manipur, tens of thousands of displaced people remain trapped in limbo, their lives suspended between fragile hope and deep uncertainty. With the government’s plan to close all temporary relief camps by December, the future of nearly 60,000 internally displaced residents hangs in the balance.

The violence that erupted in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities was the worst Manipur had seen in decades. What began as protests over the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status, a move opposed by the largely Christian Kuki community, quickly turned into large-scale clashes. Entire villages were torched, churches and temples destroyed, and thousands of people fled their homes overnight. At