Responding to demands for arrests and abrogation of the SoO agreements, the Kuki-Zo Council accused Naga leaders of selective condemnation and cited its own expression of regret over the killing of six Naga civilians.
BY PC Bureau
September 1: The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has rejected as one-sided an appeal by Naga legislators to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for action against Kuki-Zo leaders, saying demands for justice and accountability must apply to both communities.
In a statement issued Monday, KZC spokesperson and secretary for information and publicity Ginza Vualzong said the council had taken note of the Naga MLAs’ letter, titled “Urgent Appeal for Immediate Action Against Kuki-Zo Leaders.”
The legislators described the situation in Manipur’s hill districts as “critical and volatile” and sought arrests over attacks on Naga civilians, action against Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements with Kuki-Zo armed groups. Reports said eight of Manipur’s nine Naga MLAs signed the appeal, though some reports have referred to all nine.
The KZC said the same standard of accountability must apply to attacks on Kuki-Zo civilians and villages.
According to the council, more than 20 Kuki-Zo civilians have been killed and over 15 villages burnt since the beginning of 2026 in attacks it attributed to Naga armed groups, including suspected cadres of the NSCN-IM and the Zeliangrong United Front (Kamson).
“The Manipur Naga leaders cannot claim neutrality while remaining silent on violence against the Kuki-Zo,” the statement said.
The council urged Naga legislators to seek accountability for alleged killings and arson targeting Kuki-Zo settlements and to call for restraint among armed groups operating in Naga-inhabited areas. The allegations have not been independently established in all cases, and investigations into several recent incidents are ongoing.
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KZC cites apology over Naga killings
The council also pointed to what it described as Kuki-Zo efforts towards reconciliation.
It said Kuki-Zo leaders had consistently advocated peace and, on humanitarian grounds, sought an apology as a step towards ending the cycle of retaliation.
In June, KZC chairman Henlianthang Thanglet described the killing of six Naga civilians as a “great mistake” and expressed regret. The council said the lack of a similar acknowledgement from Naga political leaders raised questions about their commitment to reconciliation.
“Killing civilians and burning villages will never bring peace,” the KZC said, calling instead for dialogue, restraint and accountability.
“Peace cannot be built through selective justice,” it added, saying equal accountability and genuine reconciliation were the way forward.
The statement comes amid a fresh escalation in Kuki-Naga tensions, against the backdrop of the wider Meitei-Kuki-Zo conflict that began in May 2023.
On August 27, five Naga civilians were killed in an ambush along the Imphal-Tamenglong road, according to reports. Four days later, on August 31, three Kuki civilians, including two women, were killed when gunmen attacked N Teikhang village in Kangpokpi and houses were reportedly set on fire.
Police have said investigations into the recent attacks are continuing.
The exchange between the Naga legislators and the KZC reflects the widening political dispute over accountability for the latest violence, with both communities accusing armed groups on the other side.
While the Naga legislators have called for arrests and action against Kuki-Zo leaders and armed groups, the KZC is demanding equal scrutiny of alleged attacks on Kuki-Zo civilians and opposing what it calls selective justice.
gue and restraint compete with demands for arrests and punitive action.
