With Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to visit in three days, the UNC blockade has exposed the fragile calm the administration has been trying to present.
BY PC Bureau
September 10, 2025 — The United Naga Council’s (UNC) indefinite “trade embargo,” launched at midnight on September 8, has choked the movement of goods-laden vehicles along Manipur’s two vital arteries, National Highway 2 and National Highway 37. The timing is significant: with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit Manipur in just three days, the blockade threatens to strip away the façade of normalcy that the state administration has been struggling to project.
More than 150 trucks carrying goods bound for Imphal from Assam via Dimapur have been left stranded at Mao, Manipur’s last border town with Nagaland, as “trade embargo” entered its second day.
The UNC announced the blockade in protest against the revocation of the Free Movement Regime with Myanmar and the ongoing construction of fencing along the international border, which it says undermine traditional ties and rights of the Naga people. Since the announcement, community volunteers and UNC supporters have set up checkpoints in Naga-inhabited districts such as Senapati, Ukhrul, Chandel, Tamenglong, Noney and Kamjong, halting the passage of trucks and other commercial carriers.
READ: Opinion: Corruption, Joblessness, and Broken Promises Fuelled Nepal’s Streets
Reports from the ground confirm that the embargo is primarily directed at goods transport. Trucks carrying essential supplies, fuel and other commodities are being stopped along the highways, preventing their entry into the valley and hill markets. While passenger vehicles have not been systematically targeted, their movement is being closely monitored in several areas. There have been reports of protesters unloading goods from trucks, and turning back commercial carriers at checkpoints.
🚨 Fallout of #EconomicBlockade begins!@govt_of_manipur
📍Taphou, Senapati District.
Imphal bound trucks carrying medicines, essential supplies were frisked by Naga blockade supporters along NH-2 this morning.
😏 Did UNC exhausted other means to convey their grievances to Govt? https://t.co/CaaBkWvVdI pic.twitter.com/Q46FjsWsFQ— Kanglei Chronicle (@Tongjei_Maril) September 9, 2025
The impact of the blockade is right now not being felt in Imphal , but in the days head the situation could become unbearable. The state capital depends heavily on supplies brought in from Dimapur and Silchar. Officials in Imphal have begun reviewing alternative arrangements to ensure supply of essential commodities, but with both NH-2 and NH-37 under restriction, options remain limited.
It is feared that prices of essentials could rise sharply within days if the highways remain sealed. Fuel shortages and delays in the transport of medicines are also expected to follow if the situation is not resolved quickly.
READ: Rally Cancelled, Coffins Removed — Who Speaks for Kuki-Zos: Their Leaders or Delhi’s Point Man?
In the hill districts, where communities depend almost entirely on these highways for agricultural inputs, medicines, and consumer goods, a crisis is in the making. For now, Kuki-Zo tribals could manage by using the link road between Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. But officials and civil society groups caution that if the UNC extends its embargo to this lifeline route, the situation could quickly turn dire for the Kuki-Zo population, cutting them off from essential supplies in the coming weeks.
The UNC has maintained that the blockade will continue until the government reconsiders its policies on the Free Movement Regime and border fencing. State authorities have appealed for restraint, while civil society groups have warned of the humanitarian consequences if the embargo drags on.
For now, the situation on the ground remains tense but largely peaceful, with goods vehicles immobilized along Manipur’s arterial roads and uncertainty looming over the state’s supply chain.
