A day after peace talks, bullets on Manipur's IT road: 4 Naga civilians dead

At least four people were killed, one person injured and another reported missing after armed assailants ambushed civilians on the Imphal-Tamenglong (IT) road in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Thursday (Aug 27), officials said, reigniting tensions between the Naga and Kuki communities in the region. The attack took place around 8:30 am between Makui Ashang and Thananba Naga village—a stretch locals describe as a vital lifeline connecting Naga villages along the IT road. Officials said intense firing broke out following the ambush, though the circumstances and the identities of those responsible were not immediately established.

According to local authorities, all four victims belonged to the Naga community. They were identified as Tadsongbou Ringkangmai, founder and principal of Right Path School, T. Khullen; Mariakdibou Wijunamai and Anil Wijunamai, both executive members of Makui Youth Club; and Japou MK, a student leader of Thonglang Akutpa. Gaikamang Ringkangmai was injured and evacuated to a nearby hospital, while Wisobou Charenamai, chairman of the Chawangkining Village Authority, remains missing, with a search operation underway.

Locals alleged that cadres of the Kuki National Front-Nehlun (KNF-N) and Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) carried out the ambush, though the claim could not be independently verified.

In a separate development, the Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers Twilang Lhang (KZVV) alleged that armed miscreants attacked Kuki farmers at Naibet village in Senapati district the same morning, around 9:20 am. "The KZVV views the incident as a serious provocation, particularly at a time when the Kuki community along the IT Road has been advocating dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence," the group said in a statement. This incident, too, had no official confirmation.

The twin attacks come just a day after Deputy Chief Minister Losi Dikho held a high-level peace meeting in Senapati with the United Naga Council, alongside CRPF, Assam Rifles and police officials — underscoring how fragile ongoing reconciliation efforts remain. The violence also follows a pattern of recurring ambushes on the same corridor, including an earlier attack that killed two farmers in Kangpokpi.

The broader ethnic conflict, which began between Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023 before drawing in other groups including the Nagas, has already killed over 260 people and displaced 60,000. Meiteis dominate the Imphal Valley while Kukis live largely in the hills; the state government insists there are no formal buffer zones, though it acknowledges sensitive areas. A new coalition government, formed in February after nearly a year of President's Rule, has struggled to contain sporadic violence despite representing all three major communities.

With identities of attackers unconfirmed and communal narratives already diverging, the incident risks deepening mistrust just as fragile peace talks were gaining traction.