Manipur: Five Kuki men killed in 24 hours

Three men belonging to the Kuki community were killed in fresh exchange of gunfire between unidentified armed groups in Manipur’s Noney district on Saturday, a police official told Scroll.

A day later, two Kuki civilians who went missing from Taphou Kuki village on Wednesday were found dead, the Manipur Police said in a social media post.

The deaths brought the toll in clashes between Naga and Kuki groups since February to 68.

The killings came as thousands of persons from Meitei organisations held a rally in Imphal demanding the scrapping of the Suspension of Operations agreement with Kuki-Zo armed groups, The Hindu reported.

Naga civil society organisations also held rallies in several hill districts in support of the Imphal demonstration. The Naga organisations have also demanded the termination of the agreement, accusing Kuki-Zo militant groups of being involved in violence.

The Suspension of Operations agreement was signed between the Centre, the Manipur government and two conglomerates of Kuki militant outfits – the Kuki National Organisation and United Peoples Front – in 2008.

Under the agreement, the security forces and the militant groups are prohibited from launching operations. The militant groups must abide by the laws of the land and are also confined to designated camps identified by the Union government.

The agreement was renewed in September 2025.

This followed the ethnic clashes...

Read more