14 Kuki Hostages Released in Significant Breakthrough Amid Manipur Tensions

New Delhi, June 10: Fourteen Kuki individuals who had been held by Naga groups in Manipur for nearly a month were released on Tuesday, June 9, marking a significant development in the ongoing tensions between the two communities. However, uncertainty continues over the whereabouts of six Nagas whom members of their community say remain missing.

According to Manipur Police, the 14 Kuki individuals were released in Senapati district, a predominantly Naga area. Following medical examinations, they were escorted back to Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district.

The release was welcomed by Manipur Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen. Both leaders praised the Naga groups for freeing the hostages, though neither referred to the six missing Nagas.

United Naga Council president N. Lorho said the decision to release the remaining Kuki hostages came after assurances from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, conveyed through the Nagaland Chief Minister, that efforts would be made to trace the missing Nagas.

“We have made the first move on humanitarian grounds,” Lorho told the *Indian Express*.

The hostage situation began on May 13 when Kuki and Naga groups took members of each other's communities captive in retaliatory actions amid escalating ethnic tensions. The unrest intensified after three Thadou church leaders were ambushed and shot dead in Kangpokpi on the same day. While some consider the Thadous part of the larger Kuki-Zo community, others dispute that classification.

Two days after the hostages were taken, both sides released 14 captives each. However, Naga groups continued to hold 14 Kuki individuals. Although plans had been made to release them on June 1, the move was postponed following protests by Naga groups seeking a hostage exchange.

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Meanwhile, Kuki organisations have denied holding any additional Naga captives despite reports that six members of the Naga community remain unaccounted for.

The release of the Kuki hostages was also welcomed by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. Both leaders called for the safe return of the six missing Nagas.

The hostage crisis is part of a broader conflict between the Kuki and Naga communities in Manipur. The tensions began with a scuffle in February and later escalated into violence, including the burning of homes belonging to members of both communities. There have also been allegations of militant attacks originating across the border in Myanmar.

The unrest between Kukis and Nagas has unfolded alongside the continuing conflict between Kukis and Meiteis in Manipur. More than three years after violence first erupted on May 3, 2023, tensions between those communities continue to simmer, with periodic outbreaks of violence. The conflict has effectively separated the two groups, which remain divided by security force-patrolled buffer zones.

Courtesy: The Wire

Image Courtesy: PTI