Mizoram, July 14, 2023: Mizoram’s Home Minister, Lalchamliana, has made a significant announcement, asserting that 62 villages located within the inner line reserved forest along the Mizoram-Assam border fall within Mizoram’s territory. Mizoram has long argued that the 509 square-mile area of the inner line forest, protected by the 1875 Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), represents its true boundary.

The border dispute involves three districts of Mizoram (Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit) and three districts of Assam (Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj), spanning a stretch of 164.6 km. Mizoram submitted its claim to Assam in February, awaiting a response, and the timing for the next round of border talks is yet to be determined.

To address the longstanding dispute, Mizoram and Assam have engaged in ministerial-level talks and virtual meetings. The conflict escalated in July 2021, leading to casualties and injuries. High-level delegation talks began in August 2021, aiming to find a resolution.

During the most recent border talks in November 2022, both delegations agreed that Mizoram would provide a comprehensive list of villages, including their areas, geographic extents, and ethnicities of the residents, within three months to support its claim. Regional committees from both sides will assess the details to facilitate a peaceful resolution.

Mizoram established a study group in January and submitted its claim the following month. Mizoram’s Chief Minister, Zoramthanga, and Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, have also met twice in New Delhi to seek a mutually agreeable solution to the border dispute.