Unidentified gunmen on Monday (August 31, 2026) killed three Kuki villagers, including two women, and injured four others along the same road in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, where four Liangmai Naga civilians were gunned down on Thursday (August 27, 2026).
According to Kuki-Zo organisations, the incident occurred at around 9.30 a.m. They said suspected members of two Naga extremist groups attacked N. Teikhang Kuki village near the IT Road and opened fire while torching several houses.
The deceased were identified as Tingneichin Lhouvum, 40, Hoineineng Lhoujem, 21, and Lamtinthang Lhoujem, 36. Two women were among the injured.
N. Teikhang Kuki village is close to Makui Ashang village, near where suspected Kuki extremists allegedly killed the four Nagas four days ago.
In a statement, the Twilang Area CSO Working Committee condemned Monday’s attack and blamed it on the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN (I-M), and the Zeliangrong United Front (Kamson), or ZUF (K). The two Naga groups had not reacted at the time of reporting.
The committee said the killing of civilians, particularly unarmed women, and the burning of their homes constituted acts of “extreme cowardice, savagery, and moral bankruptcy”.
“Such brutality is an assault on human dignity, the rule of law and the Christian values of peace, compassion and respect for human life. No political objective, territorial claim or organisational interest can ever justify the murder of civilians or the terrorisation of an entire village,” the committee stated.
The Kuki Students’ Organisation Sadar Hills expressed outrage over the attack. “This horrific atrocity exposes a profound and systemic failure of the security forces and the government, raising grave questions as to why anti-national elements, such as NSCN (I-M) and ZUF (K), are allowed to operate with complete impunity,” it said.
Manipur has been on the boil since May 3, 2023, when an ethnic conflict erupted between the tribal and primarily hill-dwelling Kuki-Zo and the non-tribal Meitei people largely inhabiting the Imphal Valley. The conflict shifted to the hills between the Kuki-Zo and the Nagas in February.
Many lives have been lost, and scores of houses torched in attacks and counter-attacks involving the Kukis and Nagas.
Published – August 31, 2026 09:48 pm IST
