The Presbyterian Church of Wales (PCW) has launched an appeal to help thousands of displaced refugees in north East India.
The appeal is in response to the violent upheaval which took place in Manipur in May 2023, which led to the destruction of hundreds of churches, homes, and the deaths of more than 250 people.
Around 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes and many are now in refugee camps in neighbouring countries.
The PCW says the people of Manipur are continuing to face severe persecution and violence.
Rev Nan Powell Davies, who is General Secretary of the PCW recently visited a refugee camp in Mizoram. She was accompanied by Rev Rebecca Lalbiaksangi, minister of the East Montgomeryshire Pastorate, who comes from Mizoram. This camp, in the Mizoram hills, is now home to 40 families from Manipur.
Rev Powell Davies said: “When Thomas Jones arrived in north east India in the 1840s, he preached the gospel and made a solemn promise to them. He devoted himself and his denomination to fostering a special relationship with them. He made a covenant with them and we cannot walk away from them in their hour of need.”
She added that the tribal peoples who were attacked by the Metei people group in 2023 are the descendants of the tribes that the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist missionaries worked with in the nineteenth century:
“They are part of us and we are part of them. I met peace loving families who have lost everything and experienced unbelievable pain and yet find hope in each other and in God.”
During their visit, Nan and Rebecca met two survivors, Robert and Kimteii (not their real names). Robert said:
“My house and business have gone, burnt to the ground. I long to go home, we all do, but it is not possible. Everything has gone. There are no medical or school facilities. It has all been burnt down.”
Kimteii added:
“In Manipur, we had a farm and a business, but that has all gone and we rely on the generosity of the Mizo people. We are exhausted and don’t know what the future holds for us. My son is terrified by the thought that we might go back to Manipur. He has terrible nightmares about the burning and violence he witnessed – but we must go back when we can. It is our home.”
For further information about the PCW's Manipur Appeal visit https://www.ebcpcw.cymru/en/manipurappeal/