Brus, the tribal community displaced by ethnic violence in Mizoram two decades ago, will soon decide whether or not to return to their villages from relief camps in adjoining Tripura.
The Centre is planning to close down the relief camps in October after completing the ninth and final round of repatriation by September, for which the Mizoram government is expected to begin the process of re-identification of the refugees from Wednesday.
Of the more than 40,000 Brus — also known as Reangs — who fled two rounds of ethnic violence in Mizoram since 1997, about 32,850 have stayed back in six relief camps in Tripura.
“Our leaders and advisors will be meeting soon to decide whether the situation is safe enough for us to go back to Mizoram,” said Laldingliana, leader of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Coordination Committee.
The Joint Monitoring Group on Bru Repatriation had discussed the issue of repatriation in New Delhi on June 28. Leaders of the rival Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum attended the meeting with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and governments of Mizoram and Tripura.