India has facilitated the return of 184 Myanmarese soldiers to their home country following their entry into Mizoram last week amid clashes with an ethnic insurgent group, as confirmed by an official on Tuesday.
Out of a total of 276 Myanmarese soldiers who entered Mizoram, 184 were repatriated on Monday, according to an Assam Rifles official. Myanmar Air Force planes transported them from Lengpui Airport near Aizawl to Sittwe in the neighboring Rakhine state. The remaining 92 soldiers are scheduled for repatriation on Tuesday.
The Myanmarese soldiers had entered Bandukbanga village in southern Mizoram's Lawngtlai district on January 17 with arms and ammunition, fleeing to Mizoram after their camp was captured by 'Arakan Army' fighters.
Initially taken to the Assam Rifles camp at Parva, a majority of them were later relocated to Lunglei, where they have been under the supervision of the Assam Rifles.
The group, led by a colonel, consists of 36 officers and 240 lower-rank personnel. With 635 Myanmar soldiers seeking refuge in Mizoram after their camps were overrun by ethnic armed organizations and pro-democratic forces, a total of 359 soldiers have already been repatriated, officials reported.
Mizoram shares a 510-km-long border with Myanmar, and this incident underscores the complexities and challenges associated with cross-border movements, internal conflicts, and the humanitarian aspects of displacement in the region.
