Kuki-Zo Council meets IB chief, seeks govt. action on blockade by Nagas

As Naga groups continue to block the supply of essential supplies to the Kuki-Zo areas in Manipur’s Kangpokpi, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the apex body of the tribes, met Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Mahesh Dixit and senior officials of the Union Home Ministry on Monday, July 13, 2026, demanding the Centre’s intervention in the crisis and mobilization for political solution.

KZC members said the restoration of people’s government in Manipur on February 4, a year after the President’s Rule came into effect, was “of no use” to them. They said at least 15 Kuki-Zo people have been killed so far and 14 villages belonging to the community have been burned. KZC spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said Prime Minister Y. Khemchand Singh “has no business” with the people of Kuki-Zo, who are now seeking a separate administration, i.e. a Union Territory with a legislature.

When asked about the role played by Deputy Prime Minister Nemcha Kipgen, who belongs to the Kuki-Zo community, during the ongoing crisis, the spokesman said: “Politics are such that he could not do much and no official communication took place with KZC.”

The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo people, which started on May 3, 2023, has now turned into tension between the Kuki and Naga people. Three major groups live in Manipur: the Meitei, the Naga tribe and the Kuki-Zo people.

The ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo people, which started on May 3, 2023, has now turned into tension between the Kuki and Naga people. File | Photo Credit: PTI

KZC president Henlianthang Tanglet said in a meeting with civil society members on Monday that Mr Dixit had asked for the list of vulnerable Kuki-Zo villages in need of urgent security, adding that a memorandum detailing their demands had been submitted to Home Minister Amit Shah.

“In our meeting with the IB Director, we talked about the persecution and violence we faced. We talked about how to solve the food supply. He said he would look into this issue. We also talked about a political solution,” Mr. Tanglet said. He said Kuki-Zo people, especially those residing in Kangpokpi, Ukhrul, Kamjong and Noney districts, were the worst affected by the epidemic.

The spokesman said talks between the Ministry and the Kuki-Zo rebel groups regarding the suspension of operations agreement continue every month to reach a political agreement.

Since May 13, when three Thadou-Kuki priests were killed in Kangpokpi, the Kuki-dominated region has been witnessing one of the worst economic blockades in several years. The situation worsened after the mutilated bodies of six Naga men, missing since May 13, were found by police in Kangpokpi on June 10. On July 10, a couple was arrested for this crime.

Due to its location, preceded by a Naga settlement, surrounded by the Naga-dominated Senapati district in the north and the Meitei-dominated valley districts in the south, transportation of essential and daily commodities in the hill district has been severely affected as Naga village volunteers have imposed a blockade on goods entering from outside the State.

“Half a bag of rice is sold for ₹ 3,500, a liter of petrol costs ₹ 250 and if one is lucky then a gas cylinder is available for ₹ 3,000-5,000. All blocked roads should be opened and supply of food, medicine, fuel and other essential goods should be ensured. Residents of two villages in Kamjong district (Chassad and Aishi) were boycotted and denied access to nearby markets even if they had money.” “They can’t buy anything,” he said.