Kuki-Chin fratricidal wars worsen Manipur conflict as Naga group chokes key roads

The situation in strife-torn Manipur has taken a complicated turn with Kuki-Chin militant groups engaging in fratricidal killings even as the community faces further constriction, with a Naga group choking vital communication links between Kuki-Zo-dominated regions.

Fratricidal conflict

Five people were killed in a gun battle between two newly formed militant groups representing the broader Kuki-Chin-Zo community on Tuesday (July 22) in the latest factional feud.

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Cadres of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA) and the Chin Kuki Mizo Army (CKMA) exchanged fire early in the morning at Deiveijang village in Naga-dominated Tamenglong district of Manipur, security forces said.

The UKNA was involved last month in the killing of a deputy commander-in-chief of the Kuki National Army (KNA), another militant outfit.

These back-to-back killings, ostensibly over territorial dominance, point towards internal friction within the community.

Naga outrage over Kuki camps

If these turf wars are left unchecked, they could lead to more bloodshed, said an Imphal-based senior police official.

The gunfight between Kuki groups in a Naga-dominated district has added to the complication at a time when Nagas are vehemently opposing the presence of any Kuki-Zo militant camp in their “ancestral land.”

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“Any attempt to forcibly impose SoO Kuki militants' camps in Naga areas will be treated as an act of aggression; provocative in nature, and is likely to spark ‘irreversible communal unrest’ that may ‘surpass’ the tragic turmoil witnessed on May 3, 2023,” the Foothill Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) cautioned in a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Why Nagas smell a rat

The SoO (suspension of operation) groups refer to 25 Kuki militant outfits who have signed suspension of operations agreement with the government of India.

The apprehension of the Nagas stems from unconfirmed reports suggesting that the Home Ministry and Kuki-Zo militant groups have reached an agreement on the relocation of at least seven camps from near Meitei-populated areas to “Naga territories.”

The FNCC has been enforcing since the midnight of July 18 enforcing what it called “indefinite bandh” against the movement of Kukis within the foothill regions of Naga-inhabited areas.

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3 pressing concerns

Blocking of key link-roads essentially cut off communications between the Kuki-dominated districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.

The FNCC claimed that the blockade is its “peaceful but firm protest” against three pressing concerns – unauthorised road construction, presence of SoO camps near Naga-inhabited region, and unchecked poppy cultivation.

The committee alleged that the presence of Kuki militants poses a serious threat to the security and peace of Naga communities in the region.

It also viewed the construction of the inter-district road as territorial aggression

Kuki group requests lifting of blockade

Several Naga civil society groups, such as Makhan Kanglatongbi Naga Forum and the Eastern Liangmai Naga Chief Chairman Association, supported the bandh.

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Meanwhile, the Kuki-Zo Council appealed to the FNCC to lift the blockade as the village link-roads through Naga areas serve as the essential “inter-district lifeline” for the community, as it cannot avail roads passing through Meitei areas.

The council said that the community was forced to upgrade and revive an old inter-village track out of necessity to connect Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.

The Council refuted the allegation of poppy cultivation.

Neither the Manipur state government nor the Centre has taken any visible action towards resolving a brewing conflict.