Kanggui: Thingkho Leh Malcha – Lom Lhangsam, a Kuki organization operating under the motto ‘Be Brave and Courageous’, has issued a strong press statement dated 18th October 2026. In the statement, the organization has issued a stern warning to three armed groups – NSCN(IM), NSCN(EF) and ZUF(K) – along with the Government of Manipur and the Government of India. The warning comes over what the group describes as relentless and systematic attacks and killings targeting Kuki civilians and villages in the region.
In its statement, the organization said that such targeted violence cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely. It said that Kuki civilians cannot be expected to endure endless bloodshed while those who are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting lives and property fail to take effective action to stop it. The group asserted that the current situation has created a climate of fear and insecurity among innocent villagers who have repeatedly become victims of armed attacks.
The organization said it has closely monitored past incidents of violence in the region. It specifically cited two recent incidents to highlight the gravity of the situation – the attack on Chassad village on 17th October and the ambush along National Highway-202 at Mahadev on 18th October. According to the statement, these two incidents clearly underscore the grave insecurity confronting Kuki people and other vulnerable minorities living in the affected areas, and show how civilians and roads are no longer safe.
Launching a sharp attack on the authorities, the organization stated that governmental inaction cannot become a licence for slaughter. It demanded that both the Government of Manipur and the Government of India must immediately take concrete steps to secure vulnerable villages and roads in the region. The group further demanded that effective ground and aerial search and combing operations must be launched against armed groups operating near Kuki settlements. It warned that continued failure to protect civilians will only deepen public distrust in the administration and heighten the danger of further bloodshed and instability.
The statement issued a direct warning of retaliation if attacks do not stop. It said that failure to secure the area will mean that any future attack, in whatever form, will invite retaliation in equal or greater measure. The organization declared that any burning of Kuki villages will be met with equivalent retaliation, any armed assault will be answered in kind, and any ambush will be met with a commensurate response. It added that when such retaliation follows, the Governments of India and Manipur may continue to slumber in the same conspicuous inaction that they display today.
Thingkho Leh Malcha emphasized that its restraint so far must never be mistaken for weakness. The organization said that its commitment to peace must not be construed as an indefinite tolerance of aggression against its people. The statement, issued through its Media and Publicity wing, reiterated that Kuki people have exercised maximum restraint despite repeated attacks and devastating losses of life and property over a prolonged period.
It further argued that no community in the world can be expected to remain defenceless while its people are under continuous attack. The group said that peace cannot be sustained at the cost of one-sided sacrifice and that restraint must never be exploited as an opportunity for further aggression by rival armed groups. It said that the patience of the community has been stretched to its limit due to repeated provocations.
In an unequivocal final warning, the organization demanded that NSCN(IM), NSCN(EF) and ZUF(K) must immediately cease all attacks and threats against civilians. It also called upon the governments to act decisively before more innocent lives are lost. The statement concluded by asserting that the responsibility for preventing further bloodshed now rests squarely with those who are capable of stopping it, and declared that enough is enough.
The press release ended with a strong assertion that Kuki people will not be expected to sacrifice their people indefinitely for a peace that offers neither security nor justice. Security officials are yet to officially respond to the statement, even as tensions remain high in the Chassad and Mahadev areas following the back-to-back incidents reported on October 17 and 18.
