IMPHAL: At least five militants were killed in a fierce factional gunfight between two newly formed Chin-Kuki rebel outfits in the dense forests of Deiveijang village near Longpi, under Nungba Police Station in Manipur’s Noney district on Tuesday morning, officials confirmed.
A police official said the incident site lies approximately 50 kilometres south of Nungba Police Station and is located deep inside the jungle. “It is not a motorable road and even there is no mobile signal in the place. We also have no adequate details, but a team has been deployed to the spot,” the official told HT.
People familiar with the matter said the clash occurred between cadres of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA) and the Chin Kuki Mizo Army (CKMA), both of which are not signatories to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Government of India.
The deceased militants have been identified by the people familiar with the matter as Alex, Seiboi, Pongba, Ringo, and Rambo, though authorities have yet to confirm which group the deceased belonged to.
A person aware of the matter said, “Both UKNA and CKMA are recently formed groups and are mainly composed of armed elements from the Chin-Kuki community. Their operations are spread across the hill districts of Manipur and extend to parts of the Indo-Myanmar border.”
{{/usCountry}}A person aware of the matter said, “Both UKNA and CKMA are recently formed groups and are mainly composed of armed elements from the Chin-Kuki community. Their operations are spread across the hill districts of Manipur and extend to parts of the Indo-Myanmar border.”
{{/usCountry}}Officials believe the gunfight was the result of rising tensions and competition between the two factions over territorial and organisational control.
“There has been a consistent tussle for dominance between these non-SoO groups. The situation has worsened ever since UKNA was allegedly involved in the assassination of the deputy commander-in-chief of the Kuki National Army (KNA) on June 30,” an officer said on condition of anonymity.
The slain KNA leader, a member of a group that is a signatory to the SoO pact, was reportedly gunned down by UKNA cadres, sparking unrest and intensifying rifts within the broader Chin-Kuki militant landscape.
Security agencies have since stepped up surveillance and movement tracking in and around the incident area, but no formal statement has yet been issued by either the Manipur Police or central paramilitary forces regarding the deaths or any ongoing counter-operations.
As of Tuesday evening, the situation in Deiveijang village and surrounding forested areas remained tense.