Fresh violence continues to engulf Manipur, indicating a dangerous intensification of the State’s already fragile security environment. The latest incidents, marked by targeted civilian killings, inter-group clashes, bomb attacks, and the increasing use of sophisticated tactics such as drone warfare, demonstrate that the conflict is entering a more volatile and unpredictable phase. The recent developments also reveal an expanding theatre of violence, stretching from the hill Districts of Ukhrul, Kamjong, Kangpokpi and Noney, to the valley District of Imphal West, reflecting the widening reach of militant activity and deepening ethnic polarisation across the State.
On the intervening night of May 14-15, 2026, a terrorism-suspect, Ningthou-Khongjam Sushil (21) was killed in a blast at Singjamei Bazar in Imphal West District. Police sources stated that the deceased had arrived at the location on a motorcycle shortly before the explosion occurred and was carrying the explosive device at the time of the blast. No militant outfit had claimed responsibility for the incident. The blast highlights the continuing spread of improvised explosive device (IED)-related activities into civilian and commercial areas of the Imphal Valley.
A day earlier, on May 13, 2026, three church leaders were killed and four were injured 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. The deceased were identified as TBAI president Reverend Vumthang Sitlhou, finance secretary Reverend Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou. Security Forces (SFs) disclosed that eight to 10 armed assailants opened fire from nearby hillsides. The targeting of religious leaders marks a disturbing escalation in the conflict, as influential civil society and faith-based actors increasingly find themselves vulnerable amid intensifying ethnic tensions.
On the same day, a Naga civilian, Wilson Thanga, was killed and his wife injured after unidentified armed militants ambushed their vehicle near Joujangtek and Nungsai villages in Noney District, while they were returning from Imphal. The incident adds to the growing pattern of targeted attacks on civilians travelling through vulnerable hill-valley routes.
Significantly, the recent incidents also indicate an increasing reliance on cross-border militant formations and advanced tactics. On May 9, 2026, the Assam Rifles (AR) rescued a Tangkhul Naga woman abducted by cadres of the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) during cross-border attacks in Kamjong District on May 7. The woman was abducted from Namlee village following coordinated attacks by KNA-B and Village Volunteers Eastern Zone (VVEZ) on Tangkhul Naga villages along the Indo-Myanmar border. The incident highlights the continued role of cross-border militant formations in the conflict.
On May 7, 2026, suspected KNA-B militants allegedly carried out coordinated drone attacks on Namlee Market and Choro village in Kamjong District near the Myanmar border, setting several houses ablaze. Though no casualties were reported, the use of drones marked a significant tactical escalation and raised concerns over the growing capabilities of militant groups operating in Manipur’s hill regions.
Meanwhile, violence in the Imphal Valley has continued through sporadic bomb attacks and intimidation campaigns. On May 4, 2026, suspected militants carried out two low-intensity explosive attacks in Imphal West District under the Lamphel Police Station. A bomb was lobbed at a residence in Iroisemba Mayai Leikai, while a hand grenade, accompanied by a warning letter, was planted at Langjing Achouba. No casualties were reported. Teams of the Manipur Police Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and forensic experts later neutralised the explosives. No outfit claimed responsibility for either incident.
The latest incidents follow a series of violent confrontations in Ukhrul District that have deepened tensions between Naga and Kuki armed formations. On April 28, 2026, four members of the Naga Village Guard (NVG) were injured after suspected Kuki militants opened fire on a patrol team at Horei Hill under Ringui village. The NVG alleged the involvement of “narco-terrorists” linked to poppy cultivation and drug trafficking networks operating in the area.
Earlier, on April 24, 2026, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland/Government of the People’s Republic of Nagaland (NSCN/GPRN)-Aleng group claimed that its armed wing had killed five cadres of KNA-B in Kamjong District. In a statement circulated on social media, the outfit described the operation as a “decisive response” to an earlier attack near T.M. Kasom village in Ukhrul District on April 18. The incident reflected the growing confrontation between rival ethnic militant formations.
Violence on April 24, 2026, was not limited to Kamjong. On the same day, a Naga civilian, Horshokmi Jamang, associated with the Naga Village Guards, was killed in an ambush by suspected Kuki militants at Sinakeithei village in Ukhrul District. Additionally, two Kuki village volunteers, Paominlun Haolai and Letlal Sitlhou, were killed in suspected militant attacks at Mullam and Shongphal villages, where several civilians, including women and children, were also injured.
Further escalation was witnessed on April 22, 2026, when a Naga village volunteer, Chihanngam Rungsung, sustained bullet injuries after allegedly being targeted by a sniper at Sinakeithei village in Ukhrul District, following which SFs launched combing operations in the area. The use of sniper tactics points to the growing sophistication of militant operations and reflects the entrenched nature of hostilities in contested hill areas.
The South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database recorded that 29 persons, including 14 militants, 14 civilians, and one SF trooper, have already been killed in 13 insurgency-related incidents in Manipur in 2026 (Data till May 17, 2026). While this is well below the total of 58 fatalities recorded through 2025 and 87 through 2024, recent incidents indicate a sharp escalation in the intensity and nature of violence, marked by increasing civilian targeting, inter-group clashes, and the use of sophisticated weaponry, including drones and explosives. Since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023, Manipur has recorded a cumulative total of at least 327 insurgency-linked fatalities in 146 separate incidents, including 134 civilians, 166 terrorists, 26 SF personnel, and one fatality in the not-specified (NS) category.
The deteriorating security situation has unfolded even as the Union Government continues to struggle to address the long-running ethnic conflict that erupted in May 2023. Notably, on May 14, 2026, the Union Government extended the tenure of the Commission of Inquiry probing the 2023 Manipur violence by another six months, directing the panel to submit its report by November 20, 2026. The three-member commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan, was constituted on June 4, 2023, following the ethnic violence that erupted after a “Tribal Solidarity March” opposing the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. According to official estimates, the violence claimed over 260 lives and displaced thousands of persons. The Commission is examining the sequence of events leading to the violence, the adequacy of administrative and SF responses, and alleged lapses by authorities. The latest order marks the fifth extension granted to the panel, reflecting both the complexity of the conflict and the inability of the State machinery to conclusively address accountability and reconciliation issues.
The current nature of the conflict in Manipur appears to be undergoing a gradual shift. While the violence since May 2023 was primarily centred around Meitei-Kuki confrontations, recent incidents indicate increasing tensions between Naga and Kuki armed formations, particularly in Ukhrul and Kamjong Districts. The growing number of attacks targeting Naga civilians, village volunteers, and settlements suggests an expanding conflict dynamic involving competing territorial claims and ethnic rivalries in the hill regions, raising fears of a wider multi-ethnic confrontation in the State.
The recent surge in violence demonstrates that Manipur remains trapped in a deeply fractured security environment characterised by unresolved ethnic tensions, proliferating armed formations, and weak institutional confidence. The increasing use of sophisticated weaponry, including drones, automatic rifles and explosives, suggests a dangerous escalation in militant capabilities. Simultaneously, the growing involvement of village volunteers and armed civilian formations aligned along ethnic identities has blurred the distinctions between civilian and combatant spaces, increasing the risk of prolonged communal militarisation.
Cross-border dimensions continue to play a central role in sustaining instability. Militant groups operating along the Indo-Myanmar border continue to exploit porous terrain, establish camps, and coordinate attacks with relative ease. The role of groups such as KNA-B demonstrates how transnational insurgent linkages remain deeply embedded in the conflict dynamics of Manipur. Moreover, allegations linking militant activity to narcotics trafficking and poppy cultivation indicate that insurgency in the region is increasingly intertwined with illicit economic interests, further complicating enforcement efforts.
Although SFs have intensified search operations, area domination exercises and intelligence-based interventions, the recurrence of attacks across multiple districts highlights the limitations of purely security-centric approaches. The persistence of retaliatory violence, civilian targeting and ethnic mobilisation suggests that underlying grievances relating to land, identity, territorial control and political representation remain unresolved. The repeated extensions of the inquiry commission reflect the continuing absence of durable political solutions nearly three years after the outbreak of ethnic violence.
The latest incidents collectively point toward a renewed and potentially prolonged phase of instability in Manipur. Unless meaningful political dialogue, confidence-building measures and credible mechanisms for inter-community reconciliation are urgently prioritised, the present trajectory indicates that violence may continue to intensify across both the hill and valley regions.
