Fresh influx of refugees as Chin rebel groups clash near Mizoram border

Aizawl, July 5 -- Renewed armed hostilities between rival Chin insurgent groups in Myanmar's Chin state have triggered the arrival of around 300 fresh refugees into Zokhawthar village in Mizoram's Champhai district, local sources said on Saturday.

Gunfire erupted between the Chinland Defence Force-Hualngoram (CDF-Hualngoram) and the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) in Rihkhawdar and Khawmawi villages near the India-Myanmar border from 8:45 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, forcing civilians to flee. One cadre of the CDF-Hualngoram was reportedly killed during the fighting, according to the Zokhawthar branch of the Young Mizo Association (YMA).

While the gun battle took place across the border, bullets struck homes on higher ground i...