Aizawl: The Mizoram-based Zo Reunification Organisation (ZORO), a group representing indigenous Zo or Mizo communities across India, Bangladesh and Myanmar, on Saturday renewed its call for the unity and reunification of the Zo people living across the three countries, asserting that greater unity was essential to safeguard their common identity and future.
The call came at a rally organised in Aizawl to mark the 31st World Indigenous Day.
Around 1,000 people representing different Mizo ethnic communities took part in the rally, which began at Millennium Centre in Dawrpui and culminated at Vanapa Hall, ZORO said.
Participants also showcased traditional attire representing 48 different Mizo communities, it said.
Addressing the unity march at Millennium Centre, Mizo National Front (MNF) legislator Robert Romawia Royte said unity was crucial for the survival and progress of the Mizo people.
He urged the gathering to support ZORO’s initiatives, saying the organisation was not affiliated with any political party, church or other organisation and could therefore serve as a common platform for bringing the Zo people together.
State Art and Culture Minister Lalsawivunga attended the main event held at Vanapa Hall.
Speaking on the occasion, Lalsawivunga spoke about key issues and challenges that needed to be addressed as the Zo people continued to work towards their future.
He also spoke about the framework established by the United Nations for indigenous peoples and its relevance to the Zo community.
ZORO president R. Sangkawia said the 2011 Census put the population of Zo people at around 30 lakh across their inhabited areas, which together covered nearly 90,000 square kilometres.
He said that despite living across regions dominated by different religious communities, the Zo people shared a common identity and faith.
Sangkawia also said the Zo people believed that the time was approaching for their aspirations to be fulfilled.
The ethnic Zo people, also referred to as Mizo, are an indigenous ethnic community spread across India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
They have historically sought to overcome the territorial divisions created during British rule and reunite under a common political administration.
In India, the largest concentration of Zo people is found in Mizoram and Manipur.
In Myanmar, they are predominantly found in Chin State, while in Bangladesh they identify themselves as indigenous inhabitants of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
The Zo ethnic communities are identified primarily under three nomenclatures — Mizo, particularly in Mizoram; Kuki, particularly in Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland; and Chin in Myanmar.
Certain tribes in Manipur and Myanmar also identify under the Zomi banner.
According to a ZORO leader, the demand for political separation from India took an armed turn in 1966, when the Mizo National Army (MNA), an armed wing of the Mizo National Front (MNF), launched an armed movement from Mizoram.
The Zo communities in Myanmar and Bangladesh were also involved in the movement, she said.
Following the 1986 Mizoram Peace Accord between the MNF and the Indian government, those involved in the movement from Bangladesh and Myanmar returned to their respective areas, she said.
The campaign for Zo reunification was later revived through non-violent means.
ZORO was established in 1988 with the objective of bringing the Zo people together under a single administration.
The organisation is affiliated with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and regularly sends representatives to various UN forums.
Despite being divided by international borders, the Zo communities in India, Myanmar and Bangladesh have continued to maintain close ties and extend mutual support during periods of crisis.
The conflicts in Myanmar in 2021, Manipur in 2023 and the military offensive in the CHT in 2022 saw large numbers of displaced Zo people enter Mizoram, which has often been regarded as a central refuge and support base for the wider Zo community.
Officials said nearly 40,000 Zo people from Myanmar, Manipur and Bangladesh are currently taking shelter in Mizoram.
While the largest Zo population is believed to live in India, Zo communities in Myanmar and Bangladesh occupy comparatively larger areas of their traditional homeland. ZORO maintains that the Zo people aspire to live under a single administration in a common homeland.
The organisation believes that any future initiative by the Government of India towards greater regional integration could provide an opportunity to advance the Zo people’s long-standing reunification aspirations.