Bru Reang Refugee Agreement

The Mizoram-Tripura border was closed in 1997 when ethnic tensions prompted 5,000 Bru-Reang families to abandon Mizoram and seek refuge in the neighbouring state. A temporary camp was set up at Kanchanpur, North Tripura to shelter the displaced people

To permanently rehabilitate these refugees, the Indian government has been working hard since 2010. Refugees are cared for in part by two state governments, with help from the Union government. Over the course of the last decade, 1622 Bru-Reang families have returned to Mizoram. 

On the 3rd of July, 2018, the Union government, the two state governments, and representatives of Bru-Reang refugees signed an agreement, as a consequence of which the help supplied to these families was greatly enhanced. As a result of the deal, 328 families with a total of 1,369 individuals returned to Mizoram. Most Bru-Reang families have been asking for permission to relocate in Tripura because of their concerns about their safety.

Let us learn about the bru refugees, bru tribe, reang tribe and also know what is bru reang refugee agreement in detail.

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Who are Bru Refugees?

The Bru tribe or Reang tribe are an indigenous community of Northeast India, primarily found in Tripura, Mizoram, and Assam. They are designated as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group in Tripura. They have been targeted in Mizoram by groups that do not consider them indigenous to the state. Following ethnic clashes, nearly 37,000 Brus fled Mizoram's Mamit, Kolasib, and Lunglei districts and were housed in relief camps in Tripura in 1997. Since then, 5,000 people have been repatriated to Mizoram in eight stages, while 32,000 people remain in six relief camps in North Tripura.

Community leaders from the Bru camps signed an agreement with the Centre and the two state governments in June 2018 to allow for repatriation in Mizoram. However, the majority of camp residents rejected the terms of the agreement.

According to the camp residents, the agreement does not guarantee their safety in Mizoram.

On the orders of the Home Ministry, the supply of rations to relief camps was halted in October 2019 in order to expedite the repatriation of refugees to Mizoram. According to civil society organisations, at least six refugees died of starvation.

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What is meant by the Bru Reang Refugee Crisis?

Due to ethnic violence in Mizoram, approximately 5000 Bru-Reang families (around 30,000 Bru-Reang tribals) were displaced from Mizoram to Tripura in 1997-98. These people were housed in temporary camps in North Tripura. Since 2010, the Government of India has been making consistent efforts to permanently rehabilitate these refugees. Until 2014, approximately 1622 Bru-Reang families returned to Mizoram in various batches. Furthermore, on 3 July 2018, an agreement was signed between the Union Government, the two-State Governments, and representatives of Bru-Reang refugees to increase the aid that was given to the families. Around 328 families, totaling 1369 people, returned to Mizoram.

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What is the Bru Reang Refugee Agreement?

There was an agreement signed in New Delhi between the Government of India, governments of Tripura and Mizoram as well as leaders from the Bru-Reang community to end the 23-year long refugee situation. A number of dignitaries were in attendance, including the chief minister of Mizoram (Shri Zoramthanga), the chief minister of Tripura (Shri Biplab Kumar Deb), the chairman of the NEDA (Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma), the chairman of the TIPRA (Shri Pradyot Kishore Debbarma). 

This agreement mentions that:

• The deal stipulates that the centre will provide a package worth Rs. 600 crore.

• Following the agreement, approximately 34,000 Bru refugees will be settled in Tripura.

• The Centre will assist these tribes in their overall development, with around Rs 600 crores sanctioned for this purpose.

• These tribes would be granted all of the rights that ordinary residents of the state enjoy, as well as the benefits of social welfare schemes run by the central and state governments.

• According to the Home Minister, each displaced family will be given a residential plot measuring 40X30 square feet.

• They will receive Rs 5000 per month for the next two years.

• They will receive two years of free ration.

• They will also receive Rs 1.5 lakh in assistance for the construction of their home.

• Tripura's voter list would include Bru tribals.

The land would be provided by the Tripura government under this agreement. The settlement was reached following a thorough discussion between the Union Government and the State Governments of Tripura and Mizoram, as well as representatives from the Bru tribes.

What is the Current Condition of the Bru tribes in India?

The Bru tribe was targeted over two decades ago by the Young Mizo Association (YMA), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), and a few ethnic social organisations in Mizoram, who demanded that the Bru be removed from the state's electoral rolls. Following ethnic clashes in Mizoram's Mamit, Kolasib, and Lunglei districts in October 1997, nearly 37,000 Bru fled to Tripura, where they were housed in relief camps. Over 5,000 people have returned to Mizoram in nine stages of repatriation since then, while 32,000 people from 5,400 families remain in six relief camps in North Tripura. 

The Centre announced a relief package that included a daily ration of 600 g rice for each adult Bru migrant and 300 g for each minor. Each family was also given some salt. Every adult received Rs 5 per day, while minors received Rs 2.50. From time to time, meagre allocations were made for necessities such as soap, slippers, and mosquito nets.

The majority of migrants sold some of their rice and used the proceeds to purchase supplies such as medicines. They relied on the wild for vegetables, and some of them practised slash-and-burn (jhum) agriculture in the forests. Many of them live in temporary houses made of bamboo thatch, with no access to electricity or clean drinking water, and no access to proper healthcare or schools.

What is the Reason Behind the Bru Reang Refugee Agreement?

In June 2018, Bru tribe leaders signed a deal in Delhi with the Centre and the two state governments that called for their repatriation to Mizoram. The majority of camp residents, however, rejected the agreement's "insufficient" terms. Only 328 families returned to Mizoram, making the process obsolete. According to the camp residents, the package does not guarantee their safety in Mizoram, and they fear a repeat of the violence that forced them to flee.

It was on November 16 when Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, a descendant of Tripura's former royal line, requested that the Bru be resettled in Tripura. Because of floods caused by the Dumboor hydroelectric power project in South Tripura, the Bru refugees had fled south to Mizoram, he alleged. As soon as Chief Minister Deb learned of the Centre's decision, he asked for a permanent settlement of the Bru tribe in Tripura.