May 3, 2025 will denote two years since Manipur descended into an era of violent conflict between the Kuki tribes and the Meitei community. The state of Manipur has not been the same since. There are occasional episodes here and there causing the residents of Imphal to remain unsettled. Over 250 people have lost their lives in the course of these two years. This era has not only lead to a lot of bloodshed but has also greatly traumatised the residents of Manipur. Relief camps are helping house those displaced by the conflict. One such person, living in the Sajiwa Relief camp, Kshetrimayum Joy said, "We have grown old, just sitting here, and it feels as if our end is also near. We keep wondering day and night whether we will live or die, and our bodies are becoming weaker thinking about it all the time." These relief camps do not seem to provide some basic living conditions, lacking basic necessities and sanitation. "I came here on May 10, 2023, and now only 2 weeks are left and it will be 2 years. Everything is just the same as it was 2 years ago. Nothing has changed since we came here," said Ningthoujam Samanda Singh, an IDP currently living at the Akampat Relief camp. The people do not see an end in sight and live a life full of pain and fear.
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00:01May 3, 2025 will mark a sombre anniversary.
00:06It will be two years since Manipur plunged into a cycle of ethnic conflict
00:10that has claimed the lives of at least 260 people.
00:15While the violence has largely subsided, occasional incidents continue to disturb the peace.
00:21Yet the fear, grief and displacement endured by thousands
00:25still cast a long shadow over the lives of its citizens.
00:29Thousands of internally displaced persons continue to live in makeshift refugee camps,
00:35waiting to return to the homes they fled nearly 24 months ago.
00:38We have been living in the house, and we have been living in the house.
00:44This is the family that has been stopped in the cold.
00:49We have 5 people here.
00:54We have also had a bad luck.
00:59We have also had a bad luck.
01:04We have also had a bad luck.
01:07We will die or die.
01:09This day, the body is also going to be poor.
01:13I have come here in 2020 and I have only two weeks for two years.
01:23The first thing is that there is no change.
01:29I would like to request you.
01:32You have been sent to the 8th March.
01:35The 8th March will continue in Manipur.
01:38Residents describe conditions in the camps as pitiable, with up to four families sharing a single room and a complete lack of basic necessities and sanitation.
02:08As the state marks two years of ethnic strife, two separate narratives are playing out.
02:34The Methi community is preparing for rallies and conventions, while Kuki groups say they will observe Methi as a separate administration demand day.
02:43Marking this day and giving an ultimatum to the government of India, the people of Manipur is going to have a convention where certain key resolutions are going to be taken,
02:57which will be pursued with the government of India to convert it into action, which we believe that it will help in coming into amicable solutions that will help restore the peace and security in the state of Manipur.
03:12On this day, we have appealed to the people of Manipur to cease their work in all forms of work except certain essential services.
03:23Manipur, which witnessed the killing of at least 260 people in ethnic violence since May 2023, is currently under President's rule.
03:32Thousands across communities continue to wait for an end to the conflict, hoping for a lasting solution that bridges the divide and returns the state to its once peaceful existence.
03:42Manipur, which is a part of the world's work in the world.