First Peter Ministries
The Manipur Crisis
In May of 2023, a Christian tribal group known as the Kuki-Zo, was attacked by violent mobs of Hindu extremists in Manipur, India. The months following saw the displacement of 43,000 men, women, and children from scores of torched Kuki villages across the state. Today these Christians take refuge in 80+ refugee camps in Lamka, a town reeling from economic depression and cut off from the world. They are forced to actively defend their borders against ongoing assault by the people who seek their lives. First Peter Ministries focuses on supporting the 22,000 displaced children among these refugees.
Their Story
On May 3rd, 2023, violence broke out in the capital city of Manipur, India. Extremist Hindu mobs set fire to over 300 churches, pillaged and destroyed 7,000 homes, and slaughtered over 250 Christian men, women, and children. Bodies were publicly burned. Women were paraded naked in the streets. Babies died in the fires. The mobs shamelessly posted all of this on Facebook to celebrate such horrific evils.
The government engaged in no efforts to quell the attacks as tens of thousands of people fled to the hillsides. Tragically, the days and months that followed would produce undeniable evidence that the government itself was culpable of sponsoring the mob's mass ethnic cleansing activities.
Lamka Today
Today, over 43,000 Christians remain refugees in the city of Lamka. They are the Kuki-Zo, a group of Christian tribes comprising an ethnic minority in the Hindi-majority state of Manipur. Their future is uncertain as they have been subjected to a war that the Indian government will not quash. They are forced to man a 50-mile front of barricades to protect their small city from ongoing Hindu assault. They carry hunting shotguns; their enemy wields military grade assault rifles, mortars, and drones. All travel and trade to the state capital has ceased, leaving their community in dire economic depression. The closest metropolis to supply food, medicine, and other essentials is only accessible via a 16-hour jungle road. Prices have tripled. Half the city is jobless and one third is homeless.
A church burns in Manipur's capital during the violence in May 2023. The Metei Hindus burned over 300 churches during their assault.
This refugee center in downtown Lamka holds over 500 people.
All of the Kuki-Zo were driven out of the state capital to Lamka, which they now refer to as ZoLand.
A church burns in Manipur's capital during the violence in May 2023. The Metei Hindus burned over 300 churches during their assault.
The refugee population has effectively no means of local help. Their Christian brethren struggle to make ends meet themselves; Lamka's resources are simply insufficient.
Since May of 2023, tens of thousands of refugees have subsisted on a diet of rice and dal. Most of them live in cramped quarters on concrete floors divided by tarps and sheets.
Among these refugees are 22,000 children. They have lost their homes, communities, schools, and churches.
It is these children who are the primary focus of First Peter Ministries today.
What Can We Do?
First Peter Ministries is dedicated to raising awareness of the ongoing suffering of our Christian brothers and sisters in Manipur. We want to be a mouthpiece for those who have no means to tell their story. We want to reach the family of God across the world and plea for help on behalf of the Kuki-Zo. Our fundraising is going directly to ministries on the ground in Lamka who are addressing the physical, relational, and spiritual deficits of the refugee youth. They are short on resources, but rich in faith.
If you want to join us in these efforts, visit here to seek more information or here to give financial support.
In the News
The Faces of Manipur
First Peter Ministries helps to give displaced Christian children in Manipur hope and a better future. These are just some of the many children who attend tutoring sessions, discipleship classes, and Bible camps funded by donors like you.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:9-10
