The influx of migrants from the Indo-Myanmar border after the military coup staged in February this year to three Northeastern (NE) states – Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland – is a matter of concern for India as it may inflate the issue of insurgency problems once again in this region. Currently, more than 16,000 Myanmarese migrants have taken refuge in these states and more numbers are expected in the upcoming days [1]. Referring to the recent military coup in Myanmar, Reuters in an interview with a senior government source stated, “it is a genuine worry that if rebels cross over, it will give oxygen to Naga and Manipur insurgents” [2]. This report produces an indisputable security warning, which might increase insurgency-related activities in the Northeast region. Evidently, this infiltration might spawn the number of insurgent groups from the porous Indo-Myanmar border (refer to figure 1) in the NE region, especially in Manipur. Can this migrant influx in NE be a security challenge for India? What can India do in order to pre-empt this situation and ensure that the security ambience of the region remains safe? This article attempts to answer these questions by emphasising on the origin and the nature of insurgency in the state of Manipur.
Cross-Border Migration May Lead to Resurgence of Insurgency in Manipur: A New Security Challenge for India (Anuradha Oinam, CLAWS)
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