In further escalation of hostilities between the Tangkhul Naga and Kuki-Zo tribes, one Naga ‘volunteer’ and two Kuki-Zo ‘volunteers’ were killed in a gunfight on Friday in Ukhrul district, Manipur. In addition, four Naga ‘volunteers’ were also injured. 

In the last one month, seven people from both tribes have been killed, with each side blaming the other for the casualties.

The Naga-Kuki hostility has opened another faultline in the three-year-old Manipur conflict. Until recently, Nagas stayed neutral while Meiteis and Kuki-Zos fought against each other. This poses another challenge for the new Yumnam Khemchand government, with the conflict already claiming over 260 lives and displacing around 60,000.

Ukhrul police confirmed the incident, saying that the Naga volunteer’s body........

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