The ethnic conflict that erupted in Manipur in May 2023 was initially characterised as a confrontation between the Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo tribes inhabiting the surrounding hill districts. More than three years later, while the Meitei-Kuki conflict remains unresolved, a parallel and increasingly violent confrontation has emerged between the Naga and Kuki communities in the hill districts of the State. The latest incidents indicate that Manipur’s security crisis is no longer confined to the valley-hill divide but has evolved into a multi-layered ethnic conflict involving competing territorial, political and historical claims among several communities.
The latest incident occurred on June 5, 2026, when three Kuki civilians were killed and seven houses set ablaze at Loibol Khullen village in Kangpokpi District. Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) alleged that cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) and its alleged proxy, the Zeliangrong United Front-Kamson (ZUF-K), carried out the attack.
Just days earlier, on May 31, 2026, a resident of Konsakhul Naga village in Kangpokpi District was seriously injured in a suspected attack by militants belonging to the Kuki National Front-Presidential (KNF-P). The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute involving a village water supply pipeline and highlighted how local grievances are increasingly becoming catalysts for wider ethnic confrontation.
The conflict entered a more dangerous phase on May 13, 2026, when unidentified armed militants ambushed two vehicles carrying members of the Thadou Baptist Association of India (TBAI) and the United Baptist Council (UBC) near Kotlen and Kotzim villages along the Kangpokpi-Churachandpur Road in Kangpokpi District, killing three church leaders – Reverend Vumthang Sitlhou, Reverend Kaigoulun Lhouvum and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou – and injuring four others. The victims had reportedly been involved in church-led efforts to promote dialogue and reconciliation. On the same day, a Naga civilian, Wilson Thanga, was killed and his wife injured in a suspected militant ambush near Joujangtek and Nungsai villages in Noney District while returning from Imphal.
The violence has been particularly pronounced in Ukhrul, Kamjong and Kangpokpi Districts.
On April 24, 2026, a Naga Village Guard (NVG), Horshokmi Jamang, was killed in an ambush attributed to suspected Kuki militants in Ukhrul District. On the same day, two Kuki village volunteers Paominlun Haolai (22) and Letlal Sitlhou (41) were killed and several civilians, including women and children, were injured in suspected militant attacks at Mullam and Shongphal villages in Ukhrul District.
Earlier, on April 22, 2026, another Naga village volunteer, Chihanngam Rungsung, sustained gunshot injuries in suspected sniper fire by Kuki militants at Sinakeithei village in Ukhrul District.
The confrontation acquired a more organised character on April 10, 2026, when a Border Security Force (BSF) Constable, Mithun Mandal, was killed by a stray bullet during an exchange of fire between suspected Kuki-Zo and Tangkhul Naga village volunteers in Ukhrul District.
On April 13, 2026, four cadres of the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) were reportedly killed in a clash with NSCN-IM cadres along the Indo-Myanmar border in Kamjong District. Subsequently, on April 24, 2026, the NSCN/GPRN-Aleng faction claimed to have killed five KNA-B cadres in a retaliatory operation. The growing involvement of organised armed groups indicates that the confrontation has moved beyond sporadic communal tensions and increasingly resembles a structured insurgent-linked conflict.
On March 11, 2026, two Kuki civilians, Thenkhogin Baite (45) and Thangboimang Lunkim (35), were allegedly abducted and later killed by cadres of NSCN-IM in Ukhrul District, while another civilian, Letginthang Haokip (29) sustained injuries. On the same day, at least 20 Naga civilians, including women and children, were reportedly abducted by suspected Kuki militants near Shangkai village before being released following pressure from Naga civil society organisations and the intervention of authorities.
Subsequently, on March 19, 2026, suspected Kuki militants reportedly attempted to enter the Tangkhul Naga-inhabited village of Sirarakhong in Ukhrul District, triggering exchanges of fire with local Naga village volunteers.
According to partial data compiled by South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least 20 persons have been killed in the Kuki-Naga confrontation in Manipur since March 2026, including 10 civilians (eight Kukis and two Nagas), one Security Force (SF) trooper and nine militants, across eight separate incidents. (Data till June 6,2026).
The most consequential development, however, has been the hostage crisis that followed the killing of three church leaders on May 13, 2026. According to available reports, more than 48 civilians from both communities were abducted during the ensuing violence. Although 28 hostages, including 12 Nagas and 16 Kukis, have subsequently been released, the crisis remains unresolved. As of June 5, 2026, six Naga civilians reportedly remain missing, while Kuki organisations maintain that 14 Kuki civilians continue to be held by Naga groups. The continued captivity of 20 civilians has become the central issue driving mobilisation and resentment on both sides.
The hostage issue has generated unprecedented public mobilisation. Hundreds of Nagas marched in Imphal on May 25, 2026, demanding the release of six Naga civilians allegedly abducted by Kuki militants. On June 4, 2026, the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), announced intensified agitation programmes, while a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed before the Manipur High Court seeking urgent intervention to trace the missing civilians. Amnesty International, in a statement issued on June 4, 2026, called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and warned that the continued detention of civilians reflected a worsening human rights and security crisis in the State.
While the initial phase of Manipur’s ethnic violence from May 2023 was primarily defined by Kuki- Meitei hostilities, developments since early 2026 indicate the re-emergence of a distinct Kuki-Naga conflict. The killing of church leaders in Kangpokpi on May 13, subsequent retaliatory abductions, and escalating clashes across Ukhrul, Kamjong and Kangpokpi suggest that historical Kuki-Naga fault lines are once again becoming a major driver of instability in the State.
The emergence of Kuki-Naga hostilities marks a significant departure from the dominant pattern of violence witnessed since May 2023. The original conflict primarily pitted the Meitei community of the Imphal Valley against Kuki-Zo groups inhabiting the surrounding hill districts. However, as the Kuki- Meitei conflict settled into a protracted stalemate, older inter-tribal disputes that had remained dormant for decades began resurfacing. The current phase of violence demonstrates that Manipur’s crisis cannot be viewed exclusively through the prism of Kuki- Meitei antagonism. Instead, it reflects the interaction of multiple unresolved ethnic and territorial disputes, each possessing its own historical roots and political dynamics.
Indeed, Kuki-Naga tensions in Manipur are neither new nor incidental. The two communities have a long history of contestation over territory, traditional authority and political representation. The most violent manifestation of these tensions occurred during the 1990s, particularly between 1992 and 1997, when clashes between NSCN-IM cadres and various Kuki militant organisations resulted in hundreds of fatalities and the displacement of thousands of civilians.
At the heart of that conflict were competing territorial aspirations. Naga insurgent groups sought the integration of Naga-inhabited areas into a proposed Greater Nagalim, encompassing territories across Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar. Kuki organisations, meanwhile, increasingly articulated demands for a separate Kuki homeland. Since both projects overlapped geographically in large parts of Manipur’s hill districts, disputes over villages, customary land ownership and administrative boundaries frequently escalated into violence.
Although the intensity of the conflict declined after the late 1990s, no comprehensive political settlement addressed the underlying issues. Territorial claims remained contested, competing historical narratives persisted and mutual distrust continued to shape relations between the two communities. Consequently, the conditions that had produced violence in the 1990s never entirely disappeared.
The present resurgence of conflict appears to be driven by several interconnected factors. First, unresolved territorial disputes continue to generate friction, particularly in mixed-population areas of Kangpokpi, Senapati, Ukhrul and Kamjong Districts. Second, the proliferation of armed actors has complicated local security dynamics. Besides established insurgent organisations such as NSCN-IM, numerous Kuki armed groups, village defence forces and splinter factions remain active in the region. Third, the prolonged instability created by the Kuki-Meiti conflict weakened administrative structures and created opportunities for local disputes to escalate into ethnic confrontations.
The increasing involvement of armed organisations is particularly concerning. Recent clashes have involved NSCN-IM, NSCN/GPRN-Aleng, KNA-B and KNF-P, suggesting that the conflict is becoming intertwined with existing insurgent networks operating along the Indo-Myanmar border. Several incidents have occurred close to the international boundary, raising concerns about cross-border movement of militants, weapons and logistical support.
The hostage crisis has also demonstrated the growing use of civilians as instruments of coercion. Unlike previous clashes, where violence was largely directed at armed opponents, recent incidents have increasingly targeted non-combatants. Such tactics risk deepening ethnic polarisation and making future reconciliation efforts considerably more difficult.
Political and civil society responses have so far failed to halt the deterioration. While Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has assured that investigations are underway and security agencies are working to secure the release of missing civilians, confidence among affected communities remains low. The National Investigation Agency’s (NIA’s) involvement in selected cases may improve accountability, but it is unlikely to address the broader structural drivers of the conflict.
The current confrontation serves as a reminder that Manipur’s instability is rooted in multiple overlapping ethnic disputes rather than a single binary conflict. While national attention has largely remained focused on Kuki-Meiti violence, the resurgence of Kuki-Naga hostilities underscores the fragility of inter-community relations across the hill districts. Unless meaningful political dialogue is initiated and long-standing territorial grievances are addressed, the present violence risks evolving into a sustained cycle of retaliation reminiscent of the devastating Kuki-Naga conflict of the 1990s. The continued captivity of 20 civilians and the persistence of armed confrontations indicate that the State may be entering a new and potentially more complex phase of ethnic conflict.
