Manipur counter-insurgency operation: Army targets UKNA in Churachandpur & Kangpokpi
An operation is also ongoing in Kangpokpi.
“There was credible information that rebels affiliated with the United Kuki National Army (UKNA) were operating in the area. UKNA is a group outside the Suspension of Operation (SoO),” defense sources said.
Intelligence sources said UKNA has 450 cadres with 300 advanced weapons, making them larger than any SoO group. UKNA has camps both in Manipur and across the international border in Myanmar. Unit cadres were allegedly involved in shootings targeting the homes of internally displaced persons recently resettled as part of Phase I of the government’s rehabilitation initiative.
Defense sources added: “The operation started around 6am and helicopters were deployed. The search operation is ongoing. In Kangpokpi, this is a general operation.”
In November last year, MHA and representatives of the Kuki-Zo armed groups under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) – Kuki National Organization (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) – held two days of talks in New Delhi focusing on the core demand for the Union Territory with the Legislative Assembly.
In a joint statement, KNO and UPF said that during the meeting, MHA North-East Advisor AK Mishra reiterated that though the Government of India is sensitive to the plight of the Kuki-Zo people, the current policy does not support the creation of new Union Territories. He also stressed the need for consultation with other communities in Manipur.
Following ethnic violence that broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo people on May 3, 2023, over 260 people were killed, over 1,500 injured and over 60,000 displaced when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was held in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
