Two Kuki-Zo women killed in ambush at remote Manipur settlement

Two Kuki-Zo women were shot dead by unidentified armed assailants at a remote settlement in Manipur’s Tamenglong district on Tuesday, just two days after four people were killed in separate attacks on Kuki settlements in the region.

The latest incident took place around 3 pm at Leijangphai, near Muktokhal, when the two women were reportedly carrying out routine work on their farm, according to sources.

The deceased were identified as Phalneichong (Chonga) Sitlhou, 76, wife of late Seidou Sitlhou, and Kimjalhing (Kimboi) Singson, 30, daughter of Paosei Singson.

Singson had recently returned home after completing a nursing course and was helping her parents with farming, sources said.

The attack has left the small settlement shaken. Officials, quoting local residents, said several kutcha farmhouses were also set on fire by the attackers, while some villagers remained untraceable after the incident.

The killings have further heightened tensions in an area already caught in the wider ethnic conflict that has gripped Manipur since May 2023.

The Jiribam-Tamenglong region has witnessed three attacks this week alone.

On Sunday, four people, including two women, were killed and several others injured in two separate attacks on the Kuki settlements of Longpi and Tollen, both in Tamenglong district.

The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) condemned the latest attacks, describing them as part of an alarming pattern of violence against civilians.

“The continued targeting of civilians raises concerns about attempts to terrorise and drive Kuki-Zo communities from their settlements,” the council said.

The KZC urged the Manipur government and the Centre to protect vulnerable communities, identify and prosecute those responsible, and take lawful action against armed groups involved in attacks on civilians.

In a separate directive following the recent killings, the council asked civil society organisations representing the Kuki-Zo community not to bury victims allegedly killed by armed Naga groups until further notice.

“With immediate effect, no Kuki-Zo killed by armed Naga groups in Manipur shall be buried. The mortal remains of every such victim shall instead be preserved in the nearest available cold-storage facility until further directions are issued by the Kuki-Zo Council,” it said.

The directive comes amid competing claims and heightened suspicion between communities in the region.

Following Sunday’s attacks, the Naga Village Authority of neighbouring Kaimai settlement described the perpetrators as an unidentified group and expressed concern that the violence could fuel suspicion and deepen divisions between communities.

It urged residents to exercise restraint and called on community leaders and civil society organisations to strengthen efforts to preserve peace and understanding.

The location of Tuesday’s attack adds another layer of complexity. Leijangphai has long been contested between Jiribam and Tamenglong districts over jurisdiction.

The latest killings come against the backdrop of the larger ethnic conflict that erupted in Manipur in May 2023. The violence has claimed hundreds of lives, displaced thousands and left communities deeply divided, with sporadic attacks continuing in several parts of the state.