Three years after intense riots in Manipur, the state remains destabilized. Barbed wire and heavily guarded checkpoints make passage challenging. This is evident in the struggles faced by reporters trying to navigate the area even before the latest clashes.
A new wave of ethnic violence is surging through Manipur, an isolated state in India’s east. Deadly ambushes, kidnappings, and protest marches have become alarmingly common. In recent weeks, the conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities has expanded, now involving the Nagas, another ethnic group.
Kuki and Naga groups have clashed in the hill regions of Manipur over territorial and residential disputes. This has led to more than twelve fatalities, including the killing of three Kuki church leaders in a May 13 ambush. Scores of individuals have been abducted.
This outbreak marks the most intense violence since May 2023. Then, conflict between KuKis and Meiteis led to hundreds of deaths. The Indian government deployed paramilitary forces to curb the violence, eventually partitioning the state into isolated zones.
The Meitei population, primarily located in Imphal and flat areas, remains in conflict with the Kuki community, which resides in the hilly outskirts. Each faction has secured territories, resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands. Both communities accuse one another of inciting violence, further complicating the path to peace.
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