ICMC Support Ensures Relief for Victims of Ethnic Violence in Manipur, India
As violence continues to flare in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, ICMC’s supports national member in India to provide lifesaving assistance and long-term stability for displaced communities
Ethnic violence affecting India’s northeastern state of Manipur erupted in May 2023, signalling a new and violent episode of a decades-long conflict.
Insecurity and serious humans rights abuses caused mass movements of those fleeing in search of safety. By mid-2025, more than 50,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) were living in relief camps across the state, the majority in inhumane conditions with limited access to healthcare, sanitation, and adequate nutrition.
Violence again flared in 2025, amid concerns from India’s highest court at the ‘absolute breakdown of law and order’ in the state. “The situation in Manipur continues to be unstable and many displaced households still face severe hardship,” said Rani Punnaserril, a Catholic Sister and program manager of the Commission for Migrants at the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), ICMC’s national member. “The path to recovery is long, and ongoing assistance, especially for livelihoods, mental health care, and essential relief, remains critical for helping families achieve lasting stability and self-reliance.”
Responding to Displacement from Manipur: ICMC & CCBI in Partnership
Building on the ICMC-CCBI partnership in place since 2020 to support migrant workers in India, ICMC provided rapid support to CCBI when thousands were moving during the initial outbreak of violence. CCBI purchased and distributed essential items to 200 residents and 150 family households living in an isolated, temporary camp, including essential food, clothing, and sanitary items.
Recognising the long-term nature of displacement from Manipur and the need for IDPs to build stability, continued ICMC support enabled CCBI to launch a comprehensive one-year program of basic needs, livelihoods psychosocial, and educational support for IDPs, alongside community resilience and capacity-building.
100 internally displaced women received poultry from the project in order to start small livelihoods activities. Most now maintain approximately 15 ducks/10 chickens, with several having sold their first batches to meet essential expenses, in some cases reinvesting their earnings. The project particularly targeted widowed and economically vulnerable households, which today are much more financially resilient.
In 2024-25, the project’s educational support ensured 200 school children aged 5-14 received educational materials (stationery, books, and uniforms), while a further 200 received supplementary food assistance. Beneficiaries were selected from resettlement areas and relief camps, prioritising unemployed, widowed and single parent households without the means to provide adequate food for their children.
600 women, 100 men, and 30 children received psychosocial assistance and mental health support, provided by 40 community volunteers trained by the project. The project additionally trained 12 village mental health providers to provide mental health support through in-person and online sessions, reaching 170 households.
“The program strengthened trust between displaced families and local health/spiritual leaders, reduced stigma around discussing emotional difficulties, and created a sustainable support network within camps and resettlement areas. Although volunteers faced challenges including frequent displacement of families, limited privacy for counselling, and their own emotional burden they remained committed, offering vital support in an environment of fear, insecurity, and continuing violence.”
Sister Rani, Program Manager, Commission for Migrants, Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI)
Rachel Westerby
Independent writer and researcher on migration and refugees.
