For nearly three years, the ethnic conflict in Manipur remained primarily between the Meiteis of the Valley and the Kuki-Zos in the hills. But now, the already precarious security landscape in Manipur has reached a dangerous new inflection point as the state’s Naga community gets increasingly drawn into the fray. 

On the morning of April 21, Naga and Kuki-Zo groups clashed in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district. The immediate trigger, police said, was an attempt by a few Kuki youths to lift a road blockade, upsetting Nagas observing a three-day shutdown called by the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex Naga body in Manipur. The shutdown call was in response to the killing of two Naga civilians in an ambush by suspected Kuki militants on April 18. 

The clash involved stone-pelting from both sides, leaving one person injured, according to Helginthang, deputy officer in charge at Kangpokpi police station.

Since the outbreak of violence in Manipur in 2023, the Nagas have largely stayed away from the conflict, which has claimed over 260 lives and displaced nearly 60,000 people. But since February, a series of incidents has unsettled that distance.

On February 7, a Tangkhul Naga villager was assaulted allegedly by Kuki-Zo individuals in Litan, in Ukhrul district. Since then, prohibitory orders have been imposed, houses torched, and residents moved to safer areas.

The following month, two Kuki-Zo men went missing in Ukhrul. In response, 21 Naga men, women and children were allegedly taken hostage by suspected Kuki-Zo militants. After the Centre’s intervention, the Nagas were released, while the two Kukis were later found dead. It was alleged that they had been attacked by Naga “volunteers”. However, Ayo Satsang, general secretary of the UNC, claimed the two Kukis were militants.

Relations deteriorated further after two Tangkhul Naga men, including one who served in the Indian Army, were killed in an ambush by suspected Kuki militants. The Kuki Zo Council denied the involvement of their groups, saying Naga “factional groups” were responsible.

At a press conference this week, the UNC asked Nagas to suspend social and economic ties with the Kuki-Zo community, describing the attack as “a direct threat to the Nagas”. It announced three days of mourning and called for a shutdown. 

“In the spirit of mourning, Nagas living in Manipur are asked to suspend all kinds of social and economic ties with Kukis in accordance with Naga customary practice,” a UNC office-bearer said.

Satsang accused the Kuki-Zo community of repeatedly “provoking” the Nagas. 

Speaking to Newslaundry, he said, “I think we have no more relationship (with the Kuki-Zo) because they have unceasingly provoked us for so long.........

© newslaundry