In Episode 11 of Mission Manipur, Greeshma Kuthar looks at the extension of President’s Rule in the State and the stark reality that little has changed on the ground. Less than a week after the extension, a new report attributed the continuing violence to ethnic divisions deepened by state actors. Despite the heavy presence of security forces and multiple checkpoints, the buffer zones remain tense, with communities unable to cross and mutual suspicion entrenched. In the valley, the Kuki-Zo tribes are still labelled “illegal”, while the hill communities remain scarred by the violence they suffered in the initial days of the conflict. Political leaders, including former Chief Minister Biren Singh, continue to exploit divisions with inflammatory rhetoric, with little accountability in sight. Against this backdrop, the episode highlights voices of resilience—a journalist and social worker who has been creating livelihood opportunities for displaced families in relief camps, and a writer-activist who provides counselling to displaced children and livelihood support to women. Their work underscores how, in the absence of effective governance, it is ordinary citizens—especially women—who sustain hope in a fractured Manipur.