Thousands of refugees are seeking safety in India’s Mizoram state following violence in Myanmar.

Indian authorities reported on Monday that thousands of refugees have entered Mizoram, a northeastern state of India, following clashes between two anti-junta armed factions in neighboring Myanmar.

Since July 2, refugees have been entering Mizoram due to conflicts between two competing Chin factions — the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force-Hualngoram (CDF-H) — that broke out over territorial control in Myanmar’s northwestern Chin State, a high-ranking security official reported.

The official, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization to address the media, mentioned that approximately 4,000 refugees had entered the country since the conflict started.

Mizoram, adjacent to regions of Myanmar governed by Chin groups and whose inhabitants have ethnic ties to the Chin community, has welcomed tens of thousands of refugees since the military takeover in Myanmar in 2021.

The interior minister of Mizoram, K Sapdanga, verified the new arrivals but stated that the number of refugees is 3,000.

As of Sunday night, authorities had recorded 3,980 people in two villages – Zokhawthar and Saikhumphai – in the state’s Champhai district, the official said.

“It is a tentative number and keeps changing. Initially, a very few people had come but as a fighting intensified and got closer to the border, more people started coming in,” he said.

A Myanmar junta spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment.