A searing personal and journalistic account of the ethnic conflict and violence that has engulfed Manipur since 2023.

On 3 May 2023, the north-eastern state of Manipur plunged into the gravest crisis it has faced since its formation. Decades of differences, aggravated by grievances over land and identity issues, between the Kuki-Zomi/Mizo tribes and the majority Meitei community, spilled over resulting in deadly clashes that have, till the writing of this book, left over 200 dead and over 60,000 displaced.

The book describes what happened in Manipur without filters, and from within the Kuki-Zomi/Mizo experience. Hauzel describes the night of terror when her parents’ home and those of others in the tribal enclave in Imphal she grew up in were burnt down along with the church the family went to. She also recounts—among many other such instances—the ruthless beheading of David Thiek, and the stripping and unbearable humiliation suffered by two women, that were seen in viral videos on screens everywhere and that brought national focus on the crisis. She weaves the history of tribal and Meitei antagonism, the formation of Manipur, and its unique geographic and ethnic make-up, with personal history.

Stories the Fire Could Not Burn is a compelling portrait of love for one’s homeland and the incredible pain of losing it forever. This is a book about a conflict, but it is also about geography, movement, and the difficult work of continuing life when the ground beneath you has shifted for good.