India
Five Homes Burned in Manipur Naga Village Attack
Five houses were set ablaze in Chawangkining, a Naga village in Manipur's Kangpokpi district, following an attack by suspected Kuki militants on Tuesday night. The incident, which began around 10:30 PM on Tuesday and continued until approximately 5:00 AM on Wednesday, also involved a gunfight. Chawangkining is a Naga Liangmai village located about 13 km from Kangpokpi district headquarters, situated between Naga and Kuki villages. Residents from other communities, including Nepalis, Mao, Rongmei, and Paomei, also reside there. Daniel Charenamai, a resident, reported that around 100 heavily armed militants launched the attack, burning five houses and his shop. He stated that security forces arrived on Wednesday morning to extinguish the fires. Naga village guards reportedly retaliated, and no injuries were reported in this specific incident. Police have registered a case regarding the violence in Chawangkining, with no group claiming responsibility. This attack is part of a series of assaults in the state, which have resulted in six deaths over four days. Two Kuki women were killed in Tamenglong on Tuesday, following the shooting deaths of four people from the Kuki community two days prior. Since February, 30 Kuki and Naga individuals have been killed due to tensions between the two groups. On Sunday evening, four abandoned Naga homes were set on fire at Khedaghar in Tamenglong as a retaliatory action, hours after four Kukis were killed in separate attacks earlier that day. The Naga residents had previously left their homes in Khedaghar due to fears of Kuki retaliation. Among the four Kukis killed in Tamenglong on Sunday were a couple, and a six-year-old sustained a bullet injury. Kuki groups attributed these attacks to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isaac Muivah and Zeliangrong United Front-Kamson, coinciding with "Black Day" on September 13, observed by Kukis to commemorate victims of ethnic violence during the Kuki-Naga conflict in the 1990s. Earlier, on May 13, Kuki militants abducted and killed six Nagas in Kangpokpi after holding them captive for nearly a month. This followed a twin ambush on the same day that killed four people. Naga groups have demanded the arrest of those involved in the killing of the six Nagas and the abrogation of the ceasefire pact with Kuki militants. On August 31, nine Naga legislators submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting the immediate arrest of Kuki-Zo leaders who claimed responsibility for the killing and dismemberment of the six Nagas, including Thangboi Kipgen, the husband of deputy chief minister Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki. Naga and Kuki-Zo tensions escalated after the May 13 ambushes. On that day, Kuki-Zo and Naga groups captured 48 people. On May 15, 14 captives from each community were released, and the remaining 14 Kuki-Zo hostages were freed unharmed on June 9. The mutilated bodies of the six Nagas were discovered the following day. Ethnic violence in Manipur began in 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities, later involving nearly all communities. A new government was formed in February, almost a year after President's Rule, with representatives from all three major communities. However, sporadic violence has continued, resulting in over 306 deaths and 49 missing persons since May 2023.