Displaced and Divided: The Chin People Between War and Refuge

on July 22, 2025

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Chin State

Chin State is the poorest state in Myanmar, facing severe underdevelopment and a lack of basic infrastructure. Its remote, mountainous terrain makes transportation and daily life especially challenging. The population is low in numbers due to widespread poverty and limited access to essential services. Most families rely on subsistence farming, growing just enough to feed themselves on the steep hillsides. Despite its poverty, Chin State is rich in natural resources. While Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist, Christianity is the main religion in Chin State, reflecting the area’s unique cultural identity. The state is home to the Chin ethnic group, which includes more than 50 distinct tribes. Due to its isolation and difficult geography, Chin State has long been neglected by the central government, contributing to its ongoing struggles.

Coup

The violence brought on by the junta and various armed groups has forced more than half of the Chin State’s population to flee their homes. After the military coup in 2021, the junta responded to peaceful protests with brutal crackdowns, sparking outrage across the country. Armed resistance quickly grew in response including in the Chin State, where militias began organizing to defend their communities. From the very beginning of the coup, the Chin State became one of the first regions to see active fighting. The people, aware of the junta’s harsh treatment of dissenters elsewhere, were quick to prepare for resistance. Thanks to their remote and mountainous terrain, many were able to organize and brace for the military’s arrival. The conflict was fierce. Resistance forces launched attacks that resulted in heavy casualties for the military, and the junta retaliated by aimlessly firing on towns and villages, killing and injuring civilians. Over time, the Chin State emerged as a major stronghold of the resistance, controlling large portions of territory, an act of defiance that brought even more violent repression from the junta. Chin communities became frequent targets not only because of their resistance, but also because of their identity. The predominantly Christian Chin people have long been marginalized by the Buddhist dominated military regime. Their faith has made them a target of religious discrimination and intensified human rights abuses. As a result, the Chin State has become an epicenter of violence both for its symbolic importance to the resistance and for the deep-rooted ethnic and religious tensions that continue to fuel the junta’s brutality.

Division

The battle in the Chin Hills is not only between Chin ethnic armies and the junta, it is also, at times, between Chin forces themselves. Unity has long been a challenge in this rugged region, where many different tribes and communities make up the broader Chin identity. Division is not uncommon. In July 2025, this tension erupted when the Chin National Army (CNA) took over the headquarters of the Chin National Defense Force (CNDF). Ironically, the CNA had been invited there for a meeting and shared lunch when the seizure occurred. The confrontation quickly escalated into open fighting, forcing many civilians to flee across the border into Mizoram, India, in search of safety. The conflict lasted for around two weeks before the two sides reached an agreement. Both forces recognized that the fight should not be with each other, but against their shared enemy being the military junta. Still, the damage had been done, and the episode highlighted a painful pattern in the region’s history of infighting among Chin groups that undermines the broader struggle for freedom. As the violence subsided, displaced families began returning home. But the scars remain. Many in the Chin Hills are weary not just of war, but of fighting their own. There is a growing desire for unity, peace, and a new approach where dialogue replaces conflict, and shared purpose wins over tribal divisions. Without unity, what hope is there for a new democratic Myanmar? People are asking what they are truly fighting and dying for. The answer, increasingly, is peace. The armies have successfully kicked out much of the presence of the junta, but fighting continues between themselves.

Mizoram

Mizoram, a northeastern state in India that borders Myanmar, has long been a place of refuge for ethnic Chin people fleeing violence even before the 2021 military coup in Myanmar. The people of Mizoram are predominantly Mizo, an ethnic group that is part of the larger Chin community. They share deep cultural, linguistic, and familial ties with those living in Myanmar’s Chin State. In many cases, families have simply been divided by an international border. Mizoram is also a Christian majority state, and its people responded to the refugee crisis with compassion and solidarity. Many Chin refugees have built new lives in Mizoram, becoming part of the local society. To support the growing number of displaced people, local communities and non-profit organizations stepped in establishing camps and providing basic needs like food, shelter, and education. Notably, it is not the central Indian government, but rather grassroots efforts and civil society that have carried the weight of this humanitarian response. While Mizoram has remained largely open to Chin refugees, especially to those with family ties in the state, the continued influx has put a strain on resources and public sentiment. Mizoram, like much of the Northeast, already faces economic challenges, and the presence of thousands of refugees has led to growing concerns over jobs, land, and food security. Recently, worries over increasing crime, allegedly involving some refugees, have sparked tension. Although data shows that refugees are responsible for only a small fraction of crimes, perceptions of lawlessness have led to greater criticism. In response, the Mizoram government has begun training local officials to collect biometric and demographic data from Myanmar refugees, in order to keep better records and ensure public safety. Despite pressure from the Indian central government to tighten border controls, increase surveillance, and deport refugees, Mizoram has taken a more independent and compassionate approach. The state has refused to follow strict deportation orders, recognizing the humanitarian crisis and the shared ethnic identity of those fleeing. However, even local support is beginning to waver. Many Mizos now feel overwhelmed by the long-term burden. Some argue that the refugees are taking up jobs and housing, while others worry about the sustainability of supporting such a large displaced population without external help. As conditions grow more difficult, the Mizoram government is starting to tighten its policies. The future for Chin refugees in Mizoram is now uncertain. What was once a story of open arms is shifting into a complex struggle for balance between compassion and control, kinship and law, survival and security.

Future

The ethnic armies in the Chin Hills must find a way to come together if there is to be any real hope for a new Myanmar. A democratic and united nation cannot be built on internal division, especially when violence and persecution remain rampant across the country. Driving out the junta is a noble and necessary goal, but without unity among the resistance forces, Myanmar risks falling into the same patterns of conflict that have haunted it for decades. The Chin people have endured unimaginable hardship, yet they continue to persevere. Their ethnic and cultural ties with Mizoram have offered a place of refuge and solidarity but refuge is not a permanent solution. Long-term peace will require either thoughtful integration or a lasting political settlement. In the end, the survival of the Chin people and the future of Myanmar itself depend on whether its people can choose cooperation over conflict. All we can do now is hope for peace, for unity, and for a better future in the hills of the Chin State.

Sources

Disquiet on the Western Front: A Divided Resistance in Myanmar’s Chin State | International Crisis Group (March 2025)

Chin Resistance Tensions Boil Over as CNA Seizes Rival’s Myanmar HQ (July 2025)

Myanmar Refugees Receive Aid in India’s Mizoram State | Burma News International (June 2025)

Rihkhawdar Town Residents Return Home | Burma News International (July 2025)

Myanmar: Resistance and the Cost of the Coup in Chin State – The Asia Foundation (February 2024)

Four Years On: Impact of the Coup on Human Rights and Humanitarian Conditions in Western Myanmar – Chin Human Rights Organization (2025)

Myanmar’s Christians: As Our Churches Burn and People Flee, We Need the US’s Help – Christianity Today (September 2023)

Mizoram – Tribal, Autonomous, Governance | Britannica (July 2025)