Three killed as Kuki-Naga conflict rages in Manipur

25 APRIL 2026

The ongoing conflict between Kuki and Naga communities in Manipur escalated, leaving three people dead; 2 Kukis and 1 Tangkhul Naga; and several others injured.
Organisations of the two communities accused each other of attacking first.

The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights (KOHUR) claimed armed Tangkhul Naga men attacked Mullam and Shongphal Kuki villages at 5:30 a.m. when “unarmed civilians were asleep in their homes”.
The Naga Village Guard (NVG), Central Command, trashed the KOHUR claim and said armed Kuki extremists opened fire at some of its members on patrol duty between Sirakhong and Sinakeithei villages.
In a statement, the NVG said Naga villagers have been patrolling their villages because of “repeated attacks on Sinakeithei village and reports of constant tactical movement in the peripheries by Kuki armed cadres under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.
Some 25 armed Kuki groups signed the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, a ceasefire pact, with the Indian government in 2008.

The Naga Village Guard said the armed Kuki extremists shot dead 29-year-old Horshokmi Jamang, a Naga “village volunteer”, and injured four others. A retaliatory attack followed.
The Working Committee of Tangkhul Naga Long, the apex body of the tribe, said the Kuki extremists ambushed the NVG members.

Kuki-Naga conflict

An assault case on February 7, 2026 triggered the chain of conflict between Kukis and Nagas in Ukhrul district, signalling a shift of violence from the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley to the hills.
The clashes between the Kukis and the Meiteis broke out on May 3, 2023, claiming more than 260 human lives.