Edited by Kimbawinu Vaiphei, Kukiland Express Desk
Songpi: May 14, 2026
Tensions between the Kuki and Tangkhul (Kacha-Naga) communities escalated into a mutual hostage crisis across Kangpokpi and Senapati districts on Thursday, just a day after three Kuki church leaders were killed in an ambush. Dozens of civilians from both communities have been abducted, deepening fears of wider ethnic violence in an already volatile Manipur.
The crisis was triggered on Wednesday morning when Rev. Vumthang Sitlhou, Rev. Kaigoulen Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou were shot dead while traveling from Churachandpur to Kangpokpi. The attack on their vehicle in Kangpokpi district sent shockwaves across the state. Kuki groups have alleged that armed Tangkhul militants linked to the NSCN-IM were behind the ambush.
Within hours of the killings, 18 Liangmai Naga villagers from Konsakhul in Kangpokpi district were abducted while en route to Imphal. Akhiu Ngaomai of the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee said the villagers were captured by residents of Lelen Vaiphei, a neighboring Kuki village, and their current whereabouts remain unknown.
In what Tangkhul (Kacha-Naga) leaders described as retaliation, Tangkhul groups detained 23 Kuki civilians in Senapati and six more in parts of Kangpokpi. United Naga Council president Ng Lorho confirmed the detentions and said the situation remained “extremely tense” as of 11:30 a.m. Friday, with no resolution in sight.
Lorho said the UNC had proposed a mutual release, urging Kuki groups to free the Naga hostages first, after which Yangkhul groups would release Kuki detainees. He added that top ministers were engaged in talks and that Tangkhul groups had instructed their cadres not to harm detainees. “We hope that the Tangkhul (Kacha-Naga) hostages are safe,” he said.
Kuki Inpi Manipur information secretary Janghaolun Kipgen said discussions to de-escalate were ongoing but expressed distrust of the UNC’s proposal. “We cannot make a mistake again. We know what happened in Ukhrul,” he said, referring to a March incident where two Kuki villagers were found dead after a similar hostage exchange with Tangkhul Naga groups.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has appealed for calm, urging all sides to “uphold peace, show restraint and refrain from emotional responses.” He called for an immediate end to abductions and hostage-taking, warning that such acts would only aggravate the situation.
The hostage standoff marks a dangerous escalation in Kuki-Tangkhul (Kacha-Naga) tensions that began in Ukhrul district in February and have steadily worsened. It unfolds against the backdrop of the three-year-long Meitei-Kuki conflict, further destabilizing a state already grappling with deep ethnic divisions.
Disclaimer: Details regarding the hostage crisis, abductions, and allegations against armed groups are based on statements from community leaders and local sources. Independent verification by authorities is still awaited.
