Kukiland Express Desk, By Momoi Haokip
Songpi: April 28, 2026
The Kuki CSO Working Committee, Ukhrul (WCKCSOs-Ukhrul) said on April 28 that an attempt to attack Kuki villages was foiled after village volunteers intercepted suspected Tangkhul Kacha-Naga militants inside Kuki territory. In a press statement issued today, the committee said the incident occurred barely four days after the brutal attack on Mulam Kuki village, underscoring what it called a clear pattern of aggression unfolding on the ground. It added that the question of who is driving the conflict in the region “is no longer rhetorical” given the repeated provocations.
According to the WCKCSOs-Ukhrul, credible local inputs confirmed the presence of suspected Tangkhul Kacha-Naga militant elements along the Kampa Mol (Mount Compass) ridges on April 28. The area, it noted, is recognized as shared cultivated land belonging to the Kuki villages of Yaolen Chepu, Mongkot Chepu, Lamlai Chingphei, and Mulam. Acting on the information, Kuki village volunteers launched a preventive patrol to secure and clear jungle areas within their village land, citing repeated threats and incursions as the reason for the operation.
The committee stated that the inputs proved accurate when volunteers encountered the intruding militants who had already entered the jungle areas of Kuki village land. A confrontation ensued within the shared border area, well inside the village domain, leading to an exchange of fire at approximately 11:10 A.M. today. The statement stressed that the patrol had a legitimate objective: ensuring the safety of residents amid ongoing threats to their villages and cultivated lands.
WCKCSOs-Ukhrul raised sharp questions over what it described as contradictions between public narratives and ground actions. While certain Tangkhul CSO leaders project themselves as victims in the media, the committee asked how such claims reconcile with the repeated presence of Tangkhul militants within Kuki village territories. It further questioned the disparity between public statements advocating peace and the continued pattern of aggressive actions and attempted intimidation, calling it a deliberate attempt to distort realities and enable force against Kuki villages.
Reiterating its stand for peaceful coexistence and mutual respect, the committee said peace cannot be one-sided nor coexist with repeated incursions and armed intimidation. “The Kuki people remain resolute—while peace is our preference, the defence of our land, our rights, and our people is non-negotiable,” the statement said. Issued under Ref. No. WC/PR40/04/26 by the Department of Information and Media, WCKCSOs-Ukhrul, it called for an end to actions aimed at eliminating Kuki villages through force.
