Bru Refugees Return Home

Members of the Bru tribe have been staying in these refugee camps in Tripura after ethnic clashes forced them to flee from the state of Mizoram.

But now some of these families have begun returning to their homes.

[Elvis Chorkhy, President for Displaced People]:
“About 154 families from Naisingpara and Ashapara will start moving to Mizoram. This is the first day of repatriation of the new displaced persons who have been displaced after November 2009.”

One hundred more tribal refugee families will leave by May 26.

[Bonkhuma, Refugee]:
"Now the Mizoram government assured us security for our return, we were to go back on May 21st but could not. We are going now but more than 31,000 people are left behind and will go back home gradually. The Mizoram government has assured us of this."

Since 1997, around 32,000 Bru tribal refugees have taken shelter in six camps in North Tripura.

They’ve slowly made their return back home… but it came to a halt last November after a mob burned down 700 tribal houses, after an 18-year-old Bru was shot dead by unidentified gunmen.