New Delhi: The escalating conflict between the Naga and Kuki communities in Manipur has claimed another life, with a woman killed and her husband left injured during an ambush in Kamjong district Thursday.
The incident in Kamjong comes a week after ThePrint reported at least nine people were killed and over a dozen houses torched by suspected Naga and Kuki militants in a fresh flare-up of violence involving the two communities in Manipur’s hill districts of Kangpokpi, Kamjong and Ukhrul.
A senior police officer from Manipur told ThePrint about the incident in Kamjong district near the border. “In kaccha (unpaved) road between Aishi/Movailup and Phaikoh, it was near border pillars 107 and 108,” he said, placing it close to the Indo-Myanmar border. “Reportedly, passers-by on this kaccha road were being fired upon by suspected Naga miscreants.”
In the incident a woman belonging to the Kuki community, identified as Hatneikim Haokip of Molvailup, was killed and her husband Paothang Haokip injured. “The Kuki side also retaliated and casualties are reported on the Naga side too,” said the officer.
In a statement, the Kuki Zo Council (KZC) said that at around 4 pm Thursday, four Kuki-Zo villagers travelling from Molvailup to Phaikoh in Kamjong District to purchase essential commodities were reportedly “ambushed by National Socialist Council of Nagaland—Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) cadres”.
“This brings the reported death toll of Kuki-Zo civilians killed in violence attributed to NSCN-IM and Zeliangrong United Front–Kamson faction (ZUF-K) to 30.”
The KZC condemned the attack and demanded an immediate, impartial investigation and accountability for those responsible. Earlier, the KZC said, Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho had accused his colleague, Nemcha Kipgen, also a Deputy Chief Minister, and demanded her removal over allegations of “complicity in the killing of Naga civilians”. Eight other Naga legislators have supported the allegations against Kipgen, exposing a dangerous crack in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition.
“However, allegations concerning his (Dikho’s) own links with NSCN-IM and ZUF(K), groups held responsible for the killing of 30 Kuki-Zo civilians, must also be subjected to scrutiny. He cannot demand accountability from his colleague while questions about his own alleged associations remain unanswered,” the KZC statement said.
The Naga Village Guard-Eastern Command (NVG-EC) also issued a statement on Friday stating that its team was on patrolling duty when it “came under heavy attack from the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) and Village Volunteers of Eastern Zone (VVEZ) near Huimin Thana.”
The NVG-EC team retaliated in defence and was able to thwart the heavily armed militants of KNA-B and VVEZ, the statement said, adding that the encounter lasted for about an hour.
The NVG-EC said a civil volunteer was grievously injured and rescued with support from the locals. He was rushed to the Kamjong District Hospital where he was administered necessary treatment.
It added that since the attack on three Tangkhul Naga villages—Choro, Wanglee, and Namlee—on 7 May, “Kuki narco-terrorists and Myanmar based militants have been constantly unleashing terrors and launching a deadly offensive against the border Naga villagers.”
The NVG-EC also accused authorities of showing “an obvious indifference to the critical circumstances facing the villagers”.
“The NVG-EC, while conveying its stern warning against the aggressive stance of the Kukis, vows to fight on and protect its land, people and identity. In this time of grave threat to our nation, we call upon all the Naga youths to remain firm, courageous and stand united together,” the statement said.
Continuing challenge
Manipur has been reeling under ethnic conflict since 3 May 2023, when violence first broke out between two of the three dominant communities of the state–the Meiteis and the Kukis. There was a brief let-up in violence after President’s Rule was imposed in February last year following the resignation of then chief minister N. Biren Singh. Tensions picked up again after President’s Rule ended this February, and Yumnam Khemchand Singh was appointed Chief Minister.
This time around, the ethnic clashes shifted from Meiteis and Kukis to Kukis and Nagas. Over 300 people, across all three communities, have been killed in the violence since 2023, and more than 60,000 displaced.
As escalations continue to flare up within Naga and Kuki groups, a senior Manipur Police officer said it gets challenging at times for security forces to control the Kuki-Naga clashes in some of the hill districts, which have a mixed population from both the communities.
“For instance, Kangpokpi is a Kuki-majority district, but it has pockets with a mixed Naga and Kuki population. Tensions flare up quickly here,” the official, who did not want to be named, said.
Deputy Chief Minister Kipgen also issued a condemnation, where she said that “the district administration is strongly urged to maintain order, ensure a swift investigation, and identify and apprehend the perpetrators to ensure justice for the victims”.
“Violence against innocent civilians achieves nothing and harms everyone. At this critical and delicate hour, I make an earnest, fervent appeal to all communities-leaders, youth, and citizens across the region—to maintain calm, exercise the utmost restraint, and completely reject rumors or provocations,” she added.
This is an updated version of the report.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
Indian intelligence agencies are responsible for the current state of affairs in Manipur.
Kukis are not even Indian. They are primarily a Myanmarese tribal group. Over the last several decades, a massive chunk of the Kuki population illegally crossed the porous Indo-Myanmar border and settled down in the remote and deeply forested tracts of Manipur leading to a great demographic shift.
How come all of this happened without the knowledge of the Indian security agencies? Were they sleeping on the job?
Manipur has always been a very sensitive state. The Union and state government’s negligence has resulted in this situation.