BBC Pidgin of Friday, 21 July 2023

Source: BBC

Wetin dey happun for India Manipur and why?

File foto File foto

Ethnic violence don throw di small Indian state into wetin many pipo describe as state of civil war as di two largest groups, di majority Meite and minority Kuki, dey fight sake of land and influence.

For May, e get one shocking video wey show face wey involve two Kuki women wey Meitei men bin parade naked afta dem burn dia village - dis na di latest use of terror against women for di region.

Where Manipur dey and who dey live for dia?Di hilly north-east Indian state dey sit for di east of Bangladesh and border Myanmar. Na home to estimated 3.3 million pipo.

More dan half na Meiteis, while around 43% na Kukis and Nagas, di predominant minority tribes.

Wetin dey happun?At least 130 pipo don lose dia lives and 400 pipo don injure for violence wey begin for May.

More dan 60,000 don dey forced from dia homes as di army, paramilitary forces and police struggle to end di violence.

Police armouries don dey looted, hundreds of churches and more dan one dozen temples don dey destroyed - villages sef don dey destroyed.

How e take startTensions bin boil ova wen Kukis begin protest against demands from di Meiteis wey want official tribal status.

Di Kukis argue say e go di Meiteis already strong influence on goment and society, wey go allow dem to buy land or settle for predominantly Kuki areas.

But many underlying reasons dey. Di Kukis say a war on drugs wey di Meitei-led goment wage na to uproot dia communities.

Illegal migration from Myanmar don heighten tensions. Pressure dey on land use from a growing population and unemployment don push youth towards di various militias.

Who dey fight who?Meitei, Kuki and Naga militias don fight diasef for many years sake of conflicting homeland and religious difference, and all sides don clash wit India security forces.

Di latest flare-up, however, na almost entirely between di Meitei and di Kuki.

"This time, di conflict dey strictly rooted in ethnicity, not religion," Dhiren A Sadokpam wey be di editor of The Frontier Manipur tok.

Who be Kuki and Meitei?Di Meitei get roots for Manipur, Myanmar and surrounding areas. Di vast majority na Hindu although some follow di Sanamahi religion. Di Kukis, mostly Christian, don spread across di north-east of India, and many of dose for Manipur fit trace dia roots back to Myanmar too.

Meiteis mostly live for di Imphal valley, while di Kukis live for di surrounding hills and beyond.

Why dem dey attack and humiliate women?Di BBC Geeta Pandey for Delhi tok say di video na di latest example of rape and sexual assault wey dem dey use as instrument of violence for conflict, wey fit worsen into revenge attacks.

According to local media, di attack for May happpun afta fake report comot say Kuki militiamen rape one Meitei woman.

Dis bin unleash "a new, deadly cycle of reprisal violence on Kuki tribal women allegedly by Meitei mobs", The Print tok.

Wetin di central goment dey do about am?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi bin remain silent on di violence for Manipur until di video of di 4 May attack emerge dis week. E tok say di incident don "shame India" and dat "no guilty go dey spared... wetin happun to di daughters of Manipur no go ever dey forgiven".

But many Indians dey ask why e take so long for am to comment publicly on Manipur.

Di Indian goment don deploy 40,000 soldiers, paramilitary troops and police to di region in an attempt to stem di latest round of violence. So far, dem don resist calls from tribal leaders to impose direct rule.

But di violence kontinu to spread and force more villagers from dia homes.

Who dey run Manipur?

Oga Modi Bharatiya Janata Party, wey dey govern India, also run di state goment for Manipur, led by N Biren Singh, wey be Meitei.

Di Meitei also control 40 of di regional parliament 60 seats despite totalling 53% of di population. Di Kukis tok say Oga Singh recent war on di cultivation of poppy for di heroin trade target Kuki areas.

Oga Singh goment accuse Kuki insurgent groups say dem dey incite di community.