Beyond the Valley: Naga-Kuki tensions pile pressure on Manipur’s new government

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. It's not only the killing of two Naga civilians. Before that, they also provoked us in February.”

Satsang’s ultimatum marks a departure from the Nagas’ earlier policy of non-interference (in the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and the Kukis).

Rejecting Satsang’s “provocation” charge, Janghaulun Haokip, spokesperson of Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), said that the Kuki-Zo tribe had “consistently exercised restraint and responsibility in the face of adversity”.

Troubles mount for new government

Even as recent protests and rallies over the killing of two infants in Bishnupur district have been concentrated in the Meitei-dominated valley, rising tensions between Nagas and Kuki-Zo groups present another challenge for the two-month-old government led by chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh.

According to two government sources familiar with the developments, Singh has visited Senapati, Ukhrul and Jiribam, and held talks with leaders from both the Naga and Kuki-Zo tribes. “His intent can’t be questioned. He is trying to bridge the trust deficit,” one of them said.

The other cautioned against expecting quick results. “A three-year conflict can’t be resolved in three months. During the five-year conflict between Kukis and Nagas from 1992 to 1997, normalcy was achieved 10 years later,” the source said.

The second source blamed the unrest in Myanmar that had allegedly caused an influx of refugees, proliferation of arms and drug trafficking in Manipur. In a 2021 coup, the military junta in Myanmar – which shares borders with Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram on its western side – overthrew the elected government, leading to armed struggle by several rebel groups. 

Since 2023, members of militant groups that had fought in the Myanmar civil war have been returning to Manipur, exacerbating the crisis. In addition, sophisticated weapons have been trafficked across the border. 

Despite Singh’s outreach attempts, Naga and Meitei leaders remain sceptical of the state and central governments, as well as the central security forces. 

Nahakpam Shanta, spokesperson for Meitei-led Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (Cocomi), criticised the State government for focusing on development projects and inaugurations rather than restoring order.

Satsang, meanwhile, accused Singh of “appeasement”, referring to the chief minister’s recent meetings with Kuki-Zo leaders in Guwahati and Kangpokpi. The March meeting in Guwahati with the Kuki Zo Council was the state government's first such interaction with them since the violence began.

Singh has, however, also met Naga civil society groups in Ukhrul and Senapati, stressing the need for dialogue and the peace process.

KIM spokesperson Haokip said the new state government under Chief Minister YK Singh had made “measurable progress” towards restoring peace and order, but cautioned against “certain political actors” trying to undermine it.

Nearly a year after President’s Rule, the BJP leadership handed over the reins to Singh in February. In an effort to balance ethnic representation, the party appointed two deputy chief ministers — one each from the Naga and Kuki-Zo communities. Despite this, trust in this government remains low on all sides.

While Meiteis blame the government for its failure to protect the valley population against attacks despite buffer zones manned by central forces, Nagas allege that the central and state governments, and central security forces, have emboldened the Kuki-Zo community.  

Unpacking the territorial dispute

Meiteis dominate the valley, while Kukis and Nagas largely inhabit the hills. Since the conflict began, Kuki-Zo civil society groups and political leaders have been demanding a separate administration. Kuki militant groups, which are signatories to the 2008 ceasefire agreement, have been in talks with the Union home ministry to press for a union territory with a legislature.

But according to Naga representatives, the proposed boundaries of Kukiland overlap with their claim to Nagalim — a sovereign homeland envisioned to include parts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Myanmar. The proscribed National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah, or NSCN-IM, has been in talks with the Centre since the 1990s. These talks remain in a state of limbo.  

While the Meiteis are concentrated in six valley districts, the Nagas and Kuki-Zo tribes are spread across 10 hill districts.

Kuki-Zo groups have been demanding Kukiland, comprising the hill districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Chandel, Tengnoupal and Pherzawl.

An NSCN-IM representative had earlier told Newslaundry that the Kuki-Zo groups cannot claim Kangpokpi, Chandel, and Tengnoupal because these districts contain a significant concentration of Nagas. Kuki-Zo representatives, however, have said Nagas can seek a separate union territory in the remaining five districts – Senapati, Ukhrul, Kamjong, Tamenglong, and Noney. 

KIM spokesperson Haokip described their position as principled and clear. “We seek recognition of Kuki-Zo inhabited areas, not the redefinition or appropriation of entire districts. The territorial integrity of Naga-inhabited lands is not under question – just as Kuki-Zo lands rightfully belong to the Kuki-Zo people.” 

Satsang, however, remains sceptical, alleging that central forces were working hand in glove with Kuki-Zo groups, though he maintained that Nagas did not want war and wished to live peacefully. In the 1990s, conflict between the two tribes left more than 1,000 dead.

Henkhopao Haokip, vice-president of KIM, said the two sides could still find common ground. “In a week or two, we will try to have a dialogue with the Nagas. We have the same tribal base. We can’t be in conflict with each other,” he said.

Adding to the friction is a shared concern among both Nagas and Meiteis over the rise in the Kuki population. The 2001 Census triggered outrage in the Meitei-majority valley because it showed sharp decadal population growth in the hill districts, particularly in nine subdivisions, where populations rose by more than 40 percent between 1991 and 2001, according to an Indian Express report.

KIM spokesperson Janghaulun Haokip termed allegations of abnormal demographic expansion “unfounded” and “lacking empirical basis”. He said such narratives risk inflaming unnecessary tensions.

While the hills grapple with these overlapping territorial claims, the valley remains equally volatile, fueled by recent civilian casualties that have reignited Meitei anger against the state.

Valley on the boil

Since April 7, when two babies were killed in a projectile attack by suspected Kuki militants in Tronglaobi, Bishnupur district, the valley has witnessed curfews, repeated protests and clashes with security forces. On the same day, a mob attempted to storm a nearby CRPF camp. In the CRPF response, two civilians were shot dead.

Over the past week, Meiteis have repeatedly defied curfew to protest across the valley. Noren Singh of the Delhi-based Meitei Heritage Society described the government’s decision to hand the Tronglaobi case to the National Investigation Agency and an ex gratia offer as “mechanical” and “insensitive to the sentiments of the public”. He accused the state government and central forces of repeatedly failing to protect the valley from Kuki militants.

In the Tronglaobi case, the NIA has arrested five militants belonging to the United Kuki National Army (UKNA). Unlike many other Kuki-Zo armed groups in the state, the UKNA is not a signatory to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre.

Cocomi spokesperson Shanta said Singh’s visits must be followed by people-to-people contact. “If you are not able to give justice for the last three years for any incident, people will obviously rise against the government. And they will question the policy of whichever government is ruling the state,” he said.

Shanta added that Meiteis remain opposed to any redrawing of boundaries in response to the Kuki demand for a separate administration.

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