From June 1997 to October 1998 two ethnic groups in Churachandpur District in Manipur, India, the majority Zomi group and and a minority group, the Kuki, originally dispalced from the north of the state as a result of the Kuki-Naga Conflict (1993), were involved in an open conflict. According to the Manipur government's official record, the clash claimed the lives of 352 persons, injured 136 and reduced 4670 houses to ashes. Independent sources revealed that over 50 villages were destroyed and some 13,000 people were displaced. The majority moved to areas surrounding the district capital of Churachandpur and Mizoram, where they were housed in makeshift refugee centres in schools, hospitals, and other buildings. Several hundred Indian Army soldiers were moved into Churachandpur with the purpose of restoring order. This was not successful, however, and outbreaks of violence continued until the church brokered a ceasefire in October 1998. The immediate cause of the Kuki-Zomi con...