Armed Kuki militants set fire to five homes in Naga village of Chawangkining

Heavily armed Kuki militants launched an overnight raid on the Naga Liangmai village of Chawangkining, igniting at least five homes and a shop while the fighting lasted until about 5 am. The village, home to Naga, Kuki, Nepali, Mao, Rongmei and Paomei communities, saw roughly 100 attackers, according to resident Daniel Charenamai. Security forces were absent during the attack and only arrived the next morning to put out the fires, prompting locals to demand a permanent security post.

Naga village guards returned fire, though no casualties were confirmed. The raid follows a spate of ethnic violence in Manipur that has resulted in six deaths in four days, including recent killings of Kuki women in Tamenglong and retaliatory arson in Khedaghar. Tensions have been inflamed by demands for arrests of Kuki-Zo leaders and calls to end the ceasefire pact with Kuki militants.