Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh met representatives of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Churachandpur, Moreh, Kangpokpi and Torbung at the Chief Minister's Secretariat on August 24, 2026, to discuss relief camp conditions, grievance redressal and rehabilitation for families displaced from these hill-district areas during Manipur's ongoing ethnic conflict. The meeting was attended by Commissioner (Home) N. Ashok Kumar, Special Secretary (Home) Ahanthem Subash Singh, Deputy Commissioners from the affected districts, and representatives of several organisations working on behalf of displaced communities.
Those representing the displaced families at the meeting included the Churachandpur Meitei United Committee, Meitei Council Moreh, Committee on Protection of Meitei Victims Moreh, Meitei Union Kangpokpi, Torbung Gram Panchayat Victim Committee, and the Apex Committee of Victims' Villages — all bodies representing Meitei families who fled hill-district areas that saw intense violence after Manipur's ethnic conflict broke out in May 2023. The Chief Minister assured the representatives that his government would address their issues and take necessary steps toward rehabilitation and resettlement.
Background
The displacement discussed at this meeting is one side of a two-way displacement crisis that has defined Manipur since violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities broke out in May 2023. Meitei families who lived in hill districts such as Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and the border town of Moreh were forced to flee those areas as the conflict escalated, just as Kuki-Zo families living in Imphal Valley districts were displaced in the opposite direction. Official figures put the two-way displacement at roughly 58,881 to 60,000 people who left their homes between May 2023 and early 2026, with approximately 59,000 of those displaced specifically identified as Kuki-Zo IDPs unable to return to homes in the valley, alongside the Meitei-community IDPs from hill districts represented at this meeting.
The state government's rehabilitation effort is being funded through a Rs 523-crore Resettlement and Rehabilitation Package announced in the Manipur Budget 2025-26, on top of Rs 424.36 crore separately cleared by the Union Home Ministry for the upkeep and functioning of relief camps. As of March 2026, roughly 16,500 individuals from about 3,700 families had been resettled across affected districts, against a government target of resettling more than 40,000 people from over 10,000 families. The state has set a goal of phasing out all relief camps entirely by December 2026, with resettlement proceeding in phases rather than all at once, given the scale and sensitivity of relocating families back into, or away from, areas that remain contested along ethnic lines.
This was not the first time a Manipur chief minister has directly engaged IDP representatives — in February 2026, IDPs from both the Meitei and Kuki communities were brought onto the same platform to address the chief minister together for the first time since the conflict began, an interaction in which grievances varied sharply by community: some sought support to return home, while others, particularly from Kuki relief camps, requested continued Direct Benefit Transfer payments simply to be able to sustain themselves for longer in displacement.
Key Details
- CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh met IDP representatives from Churachandpur, Moreh, Kangpokpi and Torbung on August 24, 2026
- Meeting attended by Commissioner (Home) N. Ashok Kumar, Special Secretary (Home) Ahanthem Subash Singh, and district Deputy Commissioners
- Organisations represented: Churachandpur Meitei United Committee, Meitei Council Moreh, Committee on Protection of Meitei Victims Moreh, Meitei Union Kangpokpi, Torbung Gram Panchayat Victim Committee, Apex Committee of Victims' Villages
- Discussion focused on relief camp amenities, grievance redressal, and rehabilitation of displaced families
- Statewide: 58,881-60,000 people displaced between May 2023 and early 2026 across both Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities
- Rs 523 crore Resettlement and Rehabilitation Package (Manipur Budget 2025-26) plus Rs 424.36 crore from the Union Home Ministry for relief camp upkeep
- ~16,500 individuals from ~3,700 families resettled as of March 2026, against a target of 40,000+ people from 10,000+ families
- Government target: phase out all relief camps by December 2026
At a Glance
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total displaced (both communities), since May 2023 | ~58,881-60,000 |
| Kuki-Zo IDPs still displaced | ~59,000 |
| Rehabilitation package (state budget) | Rs 523 crore |
| Relief camp upkeep funding (Union Home Ministry) | Rs 424.36 crore |
| Families resettled as of March 2026 | ~3,700 families / ~16,500 people |
| Resettlement target | 10,000+ families / 40,000+ people |
| Target date to phase out all relief camps | December 2026 |
Local Impact
For the Meitei families from Churachandpur, Moreh and Kangpokpi represented at this meeting, the practical stakes are immediate: continued shelter and support while displaced, and clarity on whether and when they might be able to return to homes and land in districts that remain predominantly Kuki-Zo and where safe return may not be straightforward in the near term. The involvement of multiple distinct victim committees — separately organised by geography (Churachandpur, Moreh, Kangpokpi, Torbung) rather than as a single unified body — reflects how localised and specific each displaced community's circumstances and demands have become, three years into the crisis.
More broadly, the pace and even-handedness of rehabilitation across both displaced communities remains a politically sensitive marker of the state government's credibility as an honest broker in the conflict. Any perception that resources or attention are flowing disproportionately toward one community's IDPs over the other's carries real risk of deepening rather than easing the state's underlying ethnic distrust — a risk state officials have to navigate carefully in how they publicly engage each community's representatives, including in a meeting like this one that involved only Meitei-community organisations.
What Happens Next
With the state's stated goal of phasing out all relief camps by December 2026, the coming months are likely to see accelerated resettlement announcements and continued district-by-district engagement of the kind seen in this meeting, extended to Kuki-Zo IDP representatives from valley districts as well. Given that only roughly 3,700 of a targeted 10,000-plus families had been resettled as of March 2026, meeting the December 2026 target will require the pace of resettlement to increase substantially in the second half of the year, and further high-level meetings between the Chief Minister and both communities' IDP representatives appear likely as that deadline approaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who did Manipur's Chief Minister meet on August 24, 2026?
CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh met representatives of Meitei families displaced from Churachandpur, Moreh, Kangpokpi and Torbung, including the Churachandpur Meitei United Committee, Meitei Council Moreh, and several other victim committees.
How many people have been displaced in Manipur since 2023?
Between 58,881 and roughly 60,000 people were displaced across both the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities between May 2023 and early 2026, according to official figures.
How much has been allocated for IDP rehabilitation in Manipur?
A Rs 523-crore Resettlement and Rehabilitation Package was announced in the Manipur Budget 2025-26, alongside Rs 424.36 crore cleared separately by the Union Home Ministry for relief camp upkeep.
How many displaced families have been resettled so far?
As of March 2026, approximately 3,700 families, or around 16,500 individuals, had been resettled across affected districts, against a target of resettling more than 10,000 families.
When does Manipur plan to close all relief camps?
The state government has set a target of phasing out all IDP relief camps by December 2026, with resettlement being carried out in phases.
Are Kuki-Zo IDPs facing similar displacement?
Yes, approximately 59,000 Kuki-Zo IDPs remain displaced from Imphal Valley districts, in relief camps scattered mainly across Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts, mirroring the displacement of Meitei families from those same hill districts in the opposite direction.
What did IDP representatives ask for in earlier meetings with the CM?
In a February 2026 meeting that brought both Meitei and Kuki IDPs together for the first time, some sought support to return to their original homes, while others, particularly from Kuki relief camps, requested continued Direct Benefit Transfer payments to sustain their families for longer during displacement.
Sources
Northeast News, Imphal Times, Borok Times, Nagaland Tribune, Northeast Live TV, The Wire, India Today NE.