At least five houses were set ablaze after suspected Kuki militants attacked Chawangkining, a Naga village in violence-hit Manipur's Kangpokpi district, late on Tuesday night, triggering a gunfight. The attack came amid a fresh surge in violence that has killed six people in four days.
Police have registered a case over the Chawangkining violence, although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Separate reports said security forces exchanged fire with the suspected militants for nearly six hours, with firing beginning around 10.30pm and continuing until about 4.30am. Officials said security personnel prevented the attackers from entering the village, while two wooden houses on its outskirts were burnt.
Residents describe overnight assault
Daniel Charenamai, a resident of Chawangkining, said heavily armed Kuki militants attacked the village at around 10.30pm on Tuesday and that the assault continued until about 5am on Wednesday.
Chawangkining is around 13 km from the Kangpokpi district headquarters and is a Naga Liangmai village located between Naga and Kuki settlements. Nepalis, Mao, Rongmei and Paomei communities also live there.
"We have been living in the village with peace and harmony. Around 100 heavily armed militants launched the attack and set ablaze at least five houses and my shop," Danniel said.
Residents said Naga village guards retaliated against the attackers and no injuries were reported.
Danniel accused security forces of failing to respond quickly. "Who should we blame? No security forces were able to come to our rescue. They reached this morning to douse the fire. We appealed to the concerned to take necessary steps and set up a security force post in the village."
Other local reports said central security forces reached the area in the early hours and helped residents bring the fire under control.
Attack follows killings of two Kuki women
The Chawangkining attack came only hours after two Kuki women were shot dead in Tamenglong district on Tuesday, two days after four people from the community were killed in separate attacks.
The women, identified as 60-year-old Chonga Sitlhou and 30-year-old Kimboi Singson, were reportedly working in an isolated field at Leisangphai when armed assailants opened fire. Their bodies were recovered with gunshot injuries. Several villagers were also reported missing, although this was not immediately confirmed officially.
The killings followed the deaths of four Kuki civilians in separate attacks in Tamenglong and neighbouring Noney districts on September 13. A couple was among those killed, while their six-year-old child sustained a bullet injury.
Kuki groups blamed the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isaac Muivah and Zeliangrong United Front-Kamson for the attacks. The allegations have not been independently verified, and the groups have not been established as responsible by authorities.
The attacks coincided with the "Black Day" observed annually by the Kuki community on September 13 in memory of victims of ethnic violence during the Kuki-Naga conflict of the 1990s.
Retaliatory violence has deepened tensions
Four abandoned Naga houses were set on fire at Khedaghar in Tamenglong on Sunday evening in what was described as a retaliatory attack. The arson occurred hours after four Kukis were killed in separate attacks that day.
The Nagas had left their homes in Khedaghar weeks earlier, fearing retaliation from Kuki groups amid heightened tensions between the two communities.
Since Naga-Kuki tensions erupted in February, at least 30 people from the two communities have been killed, according to the information in the original report.
The latest violence also follows a deadly episode in Kangpokpi on May 13, when Kuki militants abducted and killed six Nagas after holding them captive for nearly a month. The killings followed a twin ambush on the same day that left four people dead.
Naga groups have since demanded the arrest of all those accused in the killings of the six Nagas and the abrogation of the ceasefire pact with Kuki militants.
On August 31, nine Naga legislators submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking the immediate arrest of Kuki-Zo leaders who, they alleged, had claimed responsibility for the killing and dismemberment of the six Nagas, including Thangboi Kipgen, the husband of Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, who belongs to the Kuki community.
On May 13, Kuki-Zo and Naga groups also captured 48 people amid the twin ambushes. Fourteen captives from each community were released on May 15, while the remaining 14 Kuki-Zo hostages were freed unharmed on June 9. The mutilated bodies of the six Nagas were found the following day.
Violence continues despite new government
The ethnic conflict in Manipur began in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities before drawing in almost every major community in the state.
A new government was formed in February, nearly a year after President's Rule was imposed. It includes representatives from all three major communities as part of an effort to maintain a political balance.
However, sporadic violence has continued. More than 306 people have been killed and 49 remain missing since the conflict began in May 2023, according to figures cited in the report.
The latest attacks have raised fresh concerns over security in the Naga-Kuki belt, with local residents calling for stronger security deployment in vulnerable villages. Recent reports also indicate that security presence has been intensified along the Kangpokpi-Senapati-Tamenglong belt following the latest incidents.