New Delhi: Kuki insurgent groups who are under Suspension of Operations with the Government of India have accused the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) of attempting to create a fresh conflict between Kuki and Naga communities in Manipur to serve its own political interests.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Seilen Haokip, spokesperson of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), said the recent incidents of violence involving Kuki and Naga villages in parts of Manipur are not a community conflict but a manufactured narrative. He alleged that elements linked to NSCN-IM are trying to spread violence beyond the existing conflict zones of Meitei-Kuki divide to create a new fault line in the hills.
According to Haokip, the objective behind such an attempt is two-fold. First, to divert attention from the internal challenges and growing dissent within NSCN-IM over the delay in the Indo-Naga political settlement, and second, to revive public support for the group by projecting itself as the sole protector of Naga interests. He said NSCN-IM is losing relevance on the ground and therefore wants to create fresh tensions to force the Centre to give it importance in any future arrangement in Manipur.
Drawing parallels with the violent clashes between Kuki and Naga communities in the 1990s, Haokip said the situation then and now are completely different. In the 1990s, violence had started in one district and spread to all hill districts of Manipur, leading to large scale displacement and killings on both sides. He said people today are more aware and do not want a repeat of that dark history. Communities have learned lessons and understand that any new conflict will only destroy the future of the hills.
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He further alleged that NSCN-IM wants to repeat the 1992-1997 pattern of violence to establish dominance in areas where Kuki population is in majority. “They would like to repeat what happened between 1992 and 1997, when violence spread across the hill districts. But people today are wiser and understand the consequences. The Government of India should deal with NSCN-IM and ensure that the matter is contained. Otherwise, there is a risk of creating unnecessary animosity where none exists,” Haokip said.
The press conference was jointly addressed by representatives of the United People’s Front (UPF), the other conglomerate of Kuki insurgent groups under Suspension of Operations. Both KNO and UPF have been in talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs since 2008 and their SoO agreement was extended on September 2, 2025 with renegotiated ground rules that include commitment to territorial integrity of Manipur and relocation of designated camps away from valley areas.
Speaking about the relocation of camps, Haokip said six camps are to be relocated as per the new agreement and work has already started on the ground. He said joint inspections are being carried out by security forces, Manipur police and SoO representatives to identify suitable sites. However, he admitted that one camp in Churachandpur district could not be shifted due to heavy monsoon rains and logistical issues, including inaccessibility of terrain even for heavy machinery. Forest clearing and road construction work is underway at alternative sites.
UPF spokesperson Aron Kipgen, who was also present, criticized recent operations by central forces inside SoO camps without following established protocols. He said as per SoO ground rules, any search or verification must be done in coordination with state police and SoO representatives, but recent raids have violated those rules. He said such unilateral actions create mistrust when the groups are fully cooperating with the peace process and have been maintaining ceasefire for over 15 years.
Both leaders reiterated that the Kuki demand for a separate administration in the form of a Union Territory with Legislature under Article 239A remains pending with the Ministry of Home Affairs since 2024. They said the ongoing conflict since May 3, 2023 has completely separated the communities on the ground, with buffer zones manned by central forces. Meitei people cannot enter Kuki areas and Kuki people cannot enter Imphal valley. In such a situation, they argued, a separate constitutional protection is the only viable solution.
They also linked the demand for Union Territory to the larger question of control over ancestral land. Kuki leaders maintained that just as Naga groups seek to protect and regulate entry into Naga ancestral areas as part of their demand for an alternative arrangement under the Indo-Naga settlement, the Kuki community is also protecting its ancestral land by regulating entry until a political solution is reached. They said entry restrictions are not communal but are a survival and security measure linked to political demands.
The Kuki leadership appealed to the Centre to expedite political dialogue with both Kuki and Naga groups in a time-bound manner and warned that if talks are delayed, forces like NSCN-IM will continue to exploit the vacuum to trigger inter-community tensions in the hill areas. They said the Government of India must ensure that Manipur does not witness another round of Kuki-Naga clashes and that peace in the hills can only be achieved through separate administrative arrangements that protect the land, identity and political rights of both communities.
