More than 800 residents of Rikhawdar Town in Chin State’s Falam District, near the Indian border, have fled to India’s Mizoram State in recent days following reports that junta troops were advancing toward the town, Mizoram-based media outlets reported.
Amid reports that junta troops were advancing to retake Rikhawdar, which Chin resistance forces control, residents fled across the border into India through the village of Zokhawthar. Villagers from nearby Khawmawi Village, located opposite Zokhawthar, also crossed into Indian territory seeking safety.
Most of the displaced Chin residents who fled to Mizoram are temporarily staying with relatives settled in India, while local organizations are providing food, and shelter to those without accommodation.
The junta recaptured Falam, a strategic town in northern Chin State, on April 25. It then split its forces to advance along the Falam–Hakha Road and the route leading to the India–Myanmar border, reportedly aiming to seize the towns of Tonzang and Cikha. The news prompted communities along the India–Myanmar border to begin evacuating in advance.
Rikhawdar, a key trading point on the India–Myanmar border, has been under the control of a Chin resistance coalition since November 14, 2023.
