There are credible reports that China The violence in Manipur is escalating at an alarming rate. People are being killed, including children. Bomb attacks, firing and buffer zones with armed men guarding their communities. The Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) reported that violence in Manipur accounted for 97 per cent of displacements in South Asia in 2023.

Three years on, we are witnessing the spectre of more killings, more clashes and more displacements within the state.

On 18 April, a convoy of Nagas was travelling along the Imphal-Ukhrul road under escort. The escort had been provided after earlier attacks on Nagas in Ukhrul district. Shortly after the escort left, the convoy was attacked by Kuki militants; two Nagas died.

In its statement, the Tangkhul Naga Long, the apex body of the Tangkhul Naga tribe, described the incident as a “brutal and inhuman attack”, alleging that militants used long-range weapons and opened fire on multiple vehicles carrying women, children and sick persons just after the security personnel withdrew.

Civil society organisations in Tangkhul questioned the effectiveness of current security arrangements along the NH-202, stating that repeated attacks on civilians have eroded public confidence. They also pointed out that the incident occurred shortly after chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh visited Ukhrul and gave assurances that highway security would improve.

The Voice of Naga Youth has written to the prime minister demanding an enquiry........

© National Herald