Mizoram witnesses fresh influx of refugees from Myanmar

A fresh influx of Myanmarese people was reported from Mizoram’s Champhai district on Saturday after a fierce gunfight broke out between two warring outfits in the neighbouring country, officials said.
Gunfights reportedly took place between two pro-democratic forces, Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and Chinland Defence Force (CDF)-Hualngoram, at Khawmawi, forcing locals to flee to Zokhawthar village in Champhai.
Khawmawi in Myanmar and Zokhawthar in India are separated by the Tiau river.
The number of people fleeing the gunfight is yet to be ascertained, officials said.
The CNDF and CDF operate in the Chin state, and cadres of the two groups belong to the same Zo ethnic tribes. The two outfits have been fighting over the last few days over control of the area, they said.
A leader of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) in Zokhawthar said the gunfight has created tension in the border village.
He said the YMA has urged both groups not to point their arms towards Zokhawthar, as bullets have hit some houses in the village.
However, no casualties have been reported so far in the border village, he said.
One person drowned in the Tiau river while fleeing to India, and YMA volunteers were searching for him, he added.